MORE buyers for fewer sheep and lambs boosted the on online clearance rate by almost 20 percent on AuctionsPlus last week.
Online sheep and lamb listings fell 15,488 to 57, 204 head last week, but the number of bidders rose from 407 to 715, and the overall lot clearance rose to 86 percent, compared to 68pc the week before.
Scattered rain and a more positive seasonal outlook for the remainder of October may have contributed to a rise in buyer confidence, AuctionsPlus‘ Matt Cotton said.
Mr Cotton said 24,730 Merino ewes and ewe lambs were offered online last week, with a solid clearance rate of 76pc. Ewe hoggets sold from $82.50 to $268 and averaged $195. The top-priced Merino hoggets were a line of Poll Bundaleer blood ewes from Pleasant Hills, NSW that averaged 52kg lwt.
Young and proven Merino breeders averaged $156, and ranged from $70 to $240. The top price was paid for a line of 2.5-year-old, Studall blood ewes weighing 71 kg at Wallaloo in Victoria.
Merino wether lambs were in demand last week, with an average purchase price of $89. A top price of $119.50 was achieved by a line of wether lambs offered at Coleambally, NSW, and sold to a Dubbo buyer. The Woodpark Poll blood lambs were April/May drop, with 2” skin and weighed 43kg lwt.
Grown Merino wethers were lacking in supply, but sold well, to a top of $139.50 to a Cranbourne buyer. The to-priced line came from Euroa in Victoria and weighed 63kg lwt.
About 90pc of the 26,000 lambs offered in last week’s online sale were sold. Store lambs sold from $70.5 to $126.50, with a line of 43kg White Suffolk/ Merino mixed sex suckers from Maryborough in Victoria making the top price. Another line of White Suffolk/ Merino wether store lambs at Padthaway, South Australia, weighing 43kg sold for $125 to a Dubbo buyer.
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