Markets

AuctionsPlus sheep and lamb listings and clearance rates drop

Sheep Central March 12, 2019

These young scanned in-lamb first cross ewes sold for $270 at Cosgrove South in Victoria on AuctionsPlus last week.

DRY seasonal conditions continued to limit listings and clearance of online sheep and lamb lots on AuctionsPlus last week.

Agents listed 63,512 head last week, a drop of 10,480 or 14 percent on the previous week.

AuctionsPlus technical operations officer Matt Cotton said although 80pc of lots offered received bids, the final clearance was about 60pc to buyers from among the 585 unique bidders in the week’s three sales.

The sheep and lamb offerings increased from Queensland (up 2870 to 7337), New South Wales (up 8119 to 46,998) and Tasmania (up 4319 to 5665), while they fell in Victoria (down 800 to 7230) and in South Australia (down 6782 to 21,000).

Stock movements were mainly into southern Queensland (682); NSW’s Riverina (538), north-west slopes and plains (333) and central coast (205); Victoria’s south-west (185) and northern region (179)

Unjoined Merinos ewes sell to $197

Unjoined Merino ewes sold from $50 to $197 and averaged $121. The top price was paid by a Wagga Wagga buyer for 430 2.5 year-old early November shorn ewes at Bungendore in New South Wales. The ewes weighed 59.4kgs and were mostly score 3 in condition. Another line of 310 lighter 1.5 year-old ewes from the same vendor sold for $195 to a buyer at Ladysmith, NSW.

Scanned Merino ewes in limited demand

Agents offered 9985 scanned in-lamb Merino ewes and a 60pc of these were sold for $105 to $177, averaging $143. The top price was paid by a South Australian buyer at Naracoorte for 214 five year-old late September shorn ewes at Jamestown in South Australia that were scanned 100pc in-lamb to White Suffolk rams. The ewes weighed 73.7kgs and were mostly score 4. A SA buyer at Mt Gambier paid $170 for two lines of 5.5-6 year-old early September shorn Merino ewes totalling 540 at Merrinee in SA. The score 4 ewes were scanned 163pc in-lamb to Poll Dorset rams and averaged 82.4kg.

Merino ewe lamb online prices increase $30

Mr Cotton said the Riverina and the central west region of NSW were the strongest buying regions for ewes and ewe lambs, buying 36pc of head listed.

Merino ewe lambs continued to sell well online, particularly in NSW where 88pc of the 3475 head listed found buyers. Prices ranged from $58 to $142 and averaged $119, $30 up on last week.

A NSW buyer at Booligal paid the top price for 420 May-June 2018 drop ewe lambs. The mid-December shorn lambs weighed 30.1kgs and were mostly score 2 are on their way to Oxley, NSW.

Merino wether lambs make to $126

Merino wether lambs sold online from $51.50 or 178c/kg liveweight to $126 or 288c/kg. They averaged $77 and 69pc of the offering was sold. The top price was paid by a Victorian buyer at Bendigo for 202 May 2018 drop early October shorn wether lambs at Powlett Plains in Victoria. The lambs weighed 43.8kgs and were mostly score 2. A NSW buyer at Dubbo paid $112.50 or 281c/kg  for 620 store Merino wether lambs at Wellington, NSW. The 6-7 month-old unshorn lambs weighed 40kg and were mostly score 1.

Scanned first cross ewes sell to $270

About half the week’s offering first cross ewes and ewe lambs were purchased by southern South Australian buyers. Scanned in-lamb first cross ewes averaged $205 online, selling from $148 to $270 for lines in South Australia and Victoria. A Victorian buyer at Bungeet paid $270 for 134 18-22 month-old late February shorn ewes at Cosgrove South in Victoria. The ewes weighed 64.5kgs, were mostly score 3, and were scanned 100pc in-lamb to Poll Dorset rams.

At Reedy Creek in South Australia, 75 three year-old late September shorn 67.9kg first cross ewes scanned 159pc in-lamb to Poll Dorset and White Suffolk rams sold for $270. A further 236 four year-old 75.1kg ewes from the same seller and scanned 169pc in-lamb to the same rams also made $270

A line of unjoined mid-October shorn first cross lambs at Litchfield, Victoria, sold for $160. The April-May 2018 drop lambs weighed 46.9kg and were mostly score 3.

Crossbred lambs average 317c/kg liveweight

These White Suffolk lambs sold for $138 at Crookwell, NSW, on AuctionsPlus last week.

Crossbred lambs offered online averaged 317c and ranged from 261-350 cents, up 12 cents on the previous week. The top cents/kg price, or $120.50/head, was paid for 480 5-6 month-old White Suffolk cross store lambs at Holbrook, NSW. The 34.4kg lambs were mostly score 2 in condition and were sold to a NSW buyer at Wagga Wagga.

A line of 220 July-August 2018 drop early January shorn White Suffolk lambs at Crookwell, NSW, sold for $138. The score 2 lambs weighed 41.8kg liveweight or 19kg cwt, and sold for $138, or 726c/kg cwt and 330c/kg lwt.

Source: AuctionsPlus.

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