WITH shedding sheep one of the most in-demand classes of sheep, Elders capitalised on this demand earlier this month when it hosted its inaugural national shedding breeds sale on AuctionsPlus.
Prices hit a high of $1265 for UltraWhite ewes, which set a new record on AuctionsPlus for non-station mated commercial ewes and a State record for WA-bred commercial ewes.
WA producers offered 2603 ewes representing four different breeds and they all sold to strong enquiry.
The catalogue received 3426 views while a total of 62 registered bidders from WA, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland logged into the sale, alongside an additional 29 guest viewers.
Of the 62 registered bidders 20 placed a total of 692 bids, which resulted in 10 being successful purchasers.
The ewes, which ranged in age from lambs through to 6.5-year-old, had sold for a combined gross of $725,796 and an average of $279 to mainly WA buyers, while a few lines sold to Victoria.
Achieving the record breaking $1265 top price was lot one - 50 UltraWhite 15 to 16-month-old ewes offered by JP & JL Broun, Beverley.
The ewes, which have already had their first lamb, had an average weight of 66.5 kilograms
The Brouns also sold a second line of 50 of the same description for $1230.
Both lines were purchased by a Victorian buyer.
Rounding out the lines of UltraWhite ewes offered was 147 ewe lambs offered by IJ & JM Williams, Northampton, which have been buying rams from Hillcroft Farms for the past six years.
The 5-7mo ewe lambs, which had an average weight of 44.4kg, sold for $453 and stayed in WA selling to a buyer based at Esperance.
Waitavalo Farms, Narembeen, which has run a shedding flock for more than 18 years, offered four lines of ewe lambs (April/May/June-drop) which topped at $368.
Achieving the $368 value was a draft of 150 Kojak-UltraWhite cross ewes which had an average weight of 49.6kg, when sold to a buyer based at Dwarda.
A second line of 150 Kojak-UltraWhite cross ewe lambs from the operation which had an average weight of 49.6kg sold to a Northam buyer at $352.
The operation's remaining two lines both consisted of 190 Kojak-Dorper-UltraWhite cross ewe lambs averaging 43.9kg.
Both lines were purchased by a Dandaragan buyer at $223 and $190.
Geraldton-based Banyanda Farms, which has run a shedding flock for more than 15 years, received $205 for a line of 681 Dorper ewe lambs sold to a Merredin-based buyer.
The April/May drop ewes were based on Ida Vale and Douwana bloodlines and had an average weight of 43.1kg.
Charla Downs Pty Ltd, Waroona, which has been running Dorpers since 2015, sold 330 Dorper ewe lambs based on Ida Vale and Wellesley Park bloodlines, which had an average weight of 46.5kg at $215 to a Geraldton buyer.
Two lines of older Dorper ewes were offered by JC Wasley, Mingenew, which has been based on the Douwana bloodline for more than 15 years.
It sold 280 5.5yo ewes for $201 and 185 6.5yo ewes for $170 and both lines were headed to Merredin.
The Elliot family, IB & JS Elliot, Eneabba, were the only vendors of SheepMaster ewes, selling four lines of purple tag ewes, each comprising 50 head, for $220 to the Bunbury region.
The 12-13mo ewes had an average weight of 52kg and were scanned empty.
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