AUCTIONSPLUS offered a record 103,587 sheep and lambs on Tuesday last week, with promising reports of rain and forecasts for strong falls on the horizon.

Total online sheep listings for the week totalled 118,077 head, an increase of 37,312 from last week.

AuctionsPlus’ Emma Feasey said lambs continued to be well represented online, with almost 62,000 head offered in two sales last week.

Merino ewe lambs sold from $88-$169 and averaged $138, up 23 percent from last week. The top price went to a line of well-bred future breeders averaging 37kgs from JAB Shorter & Son of Burren Junction, New South Wales.

Demand for young Merino ewes remained strong, with this category averaging $170 and selling up to $243 for a line of Panorama blood ewes at Robe in South Australia. There was increased competition for ewes and lambs, which sold from $129-$165 and averaged $151.

There were substantial offerings of Merino wether lambs and prices dipped slightly to average $97, which was attributed to an overall lower weight range. Wether hoggets sold from $80-$132.50 to average $105. The top price went to two lines from ‘The Willows’ at Euroa in Victoria which sold to a Ballarat buyer in south-west Victoria.

Grown Merino wethers sold averaged $97, 22pc higher than this time last year. Ms Feasey said these strong prices are attributed to the positive seasonal outlook boosting buyer confidence.

First cross ewe lambs to $253

More first cross ewe lambs numbers increased in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. Prices remained steady to average $179 and range from $128-$253. The top price went to a line of September shorn future breeders at Kaniva in Victoria that sold to a Ballarat buyer. Older first cross ewes made $134-$294.50, with the top price going to a line of vendor-bred weighing 67kg ewes from Western Flat in South Australia.

Store lambs sell to $131

Several vendors offered large runs of wether and mixed sex store lamb lines last week. Calvory Pastoral Co at Crookwell, NSW, offered 3000 mixed sex suckers and HM Bates at Munro in Victoria offered 4000 head that sold locally. Stand-out lines included a run of White Suffolk/first cross suckers at Lake Fyans in Victoria that averaged 43kgs and made $131.

Source: AuctionsPlus.