Young scanned in-lamb first cross ewes sold to $424 at the Deniliquin sale.

BREEDERS’ lines of empty, unjoined ewes and those scanned in-lamb with high percentages met the best demand at the Deniliquin store sheep sale on Friday.

The results, although solid throughout, failed to carry the enthusiasm of pre-Christmas online trades, which has been the sole outlet for Riverina store sheep since annual sales were concluded in the middle of spring.

With many lots on the day carded as originating from Western Australia, a degree of apprehension appeared to descend on a larger than normal spectator gallery, many of whom had limited interest in buying.

Elders auctioneer, Jason Andrews, said the reason for the lack of vendor bred lines was due to the strong demand and the excellent season that prevailed back in the spring and many of the local sheep normally retained for this January sale had been sold.

And as a result of the excellent spring season, he said the unfilled interest in restocking saw greater numbers imported into the district from the west, hence the larger representation of WA-bred sheep.

Watch Jason Andrews full post-sale interview with Sheep Central:

https://www.facebook.com/SheepCentral/videos/449966582807360

Principal at-the-market buying support was confined to southern and eastern Riverina districts, along with a limited attendance from Victoria. Attendance at the market from further afield northern and central parts of NSW was also slim. However, the sale was interfaced with AuctionsPlus and online bidders were active, but not overly successful.

Jerilderie producer David Curtin with his market topping $424 first cross ewes.

Leading off the sale was a larger than normal offering of crossbred young ewes that sold to a market top of $424 a head. The market toppers were a traditional line of first cross ewes bought in from WA as lambs and grown out by David and Nancy Curtin at ‘Muskerry’, Jerilderie. The 198 May/June 2019 drop July shorn ewes were due to lamb in March to White Suffolk rams, and scanned at 138 percent, comprising 80 multiple and 114 single detections.

Bidding for these was started at $400 and was conducted solely online with no bids offered by the attending gallery.

Next to sell was a scanned in-lamb pen of December shorn Nov/Dec 2019 drop Poll Dorset-Merino young ewes, joined to Poll Dorset rams in October, with 73 multiples and 109 single detections. The line of 182 from Gulpha Farming, Mathoura made $322. A line of 191 unjoined November shorn first cross ewes by Wombota SuperBorder rams from Telko at Mathoura, made $320.

The Allen family at ‘Melrose’, Mathoura, sold 152 unjoined May/June 2020 drop first cross ewe lambs by Retallick BL rams for $305. These were the later drop sisters to the market topping Melrose ewe lambs that rung Bendigo sales at $444 in November last year. Other pens of first cross ewe lambs sold from $220 to $292.

A large selection of White Suffolk-Merino cross ewe lambs made $174 to $276 a head as unjoined lots, and up to $296 for a pen scanned in-lamb to White Suffolk rams.

Several yards of June/July 2020 drop Merinos rounded off the selling of ewe lambs. These made from $172 to $228, with the best, sold by ‘Kalawar’ at Deniliquin, being Caroonboon and Lewisdale blood.

Young Merino ewes sell to $358

Deniliquin producer Tom Carroll sold his young Merino ewes for $358.

Bids for scanned in-lamb 2019 drop Merino ewe maidens began cautiously before stopping at $358 for 142 July shorn WA-blood ewes scanned in-lamb with multiples to White Suffolk rams from Tom Carroll at ‘Mullingar’, Deniliquin. A second draft of 142 from the same mob, with 86pc single detections, made $310. A discount of $100 a head was provided by the vendor for 19 head scanned as “undetectable”.

Watch the opening sale Merino ewes:

https://www.facebook.com/563644387118746/videos/456070535571345/

A line of 210 June/July 2019 drop October shorn Spring Plains blood and bred Merino maidens sold for $342 for the Yarrandale Partnership, Deniliquin, to Nutrien Livestock, Birchip. The ewes were scanned in-lamb at 148pc for a May/June lambing to Poll Dorset rams and weighed at 61.4kg at the time of assessment.

Also cracking the $300 a head mark was a yard of 440 May/June 2019 drop August shorn Dohne-Merino ewes weighing 68.1kg. They were scanned in-lamb with 47pc multiple and 53pc single detection. The Uardry Dohne blood and Cumbagundah-bred maidens were sold by C.G. & T.N. Johnson, ‘Eddington’, Deniliquin, to Bendigo agency, Ellis Nuttall. Other non-breeder lots of scanned in-lamb 2019 drop ewes made $268-$306.

Vendor bred lines of scanned empty and not station mated young ewes made to $326. These included 403 Bluebush blood July/August 2019 drop December shorn ewes weighing 64.3kgs from North Tuppall, Finley. These were sold to Ungarie, NSW interests. A line of Woodpark blood June/July 2019 drop October shorn ewes weighing 46.7kgs from North Coree at Jerilderie, sold for $324, to northern Victorian breeding interests at Boort.

Other pens of unjoined ewe hoggets, many of WA blood, made from, $245 to $282 a head, while pens of mixed aged ewes from 2.5-5.5 years — some scanned in-lamb, joined and unjoined – generally made from $190-$260. One line of 265 Riverina bred July shorn, 2.5-3.5-year-old ewes, scanned 86pc in-lamb made $306.

Merino wethers sell to $164

Graeme Morphett from Booligal sold his Yamba bred Merino wether lambs for $164 at Deniliquin.

A diverse range of 2020 drop Merino wether lambs met strong inquiry to sell from $101 to $164. The top price was paid for a line of Alma blood, Yamba bred October-shorn lambs weighing 49kgs from Graeme Morphett’s Western Plains Grazing at Booligal, NSW. They were sold in two lines of 326 to Elders Narrandera. The same account snapped up 341 October-shorn June/July 2020 drop Goolgumbla blood and, Mooloomoon bred lambs offered by Yarrandale, Deniliquin. Included in this diverse offering were both spring shorn and unshorn lots that weighed from 26-49kg liveweight.

The sale was conducted by Deniliquin Associated Agents comprising Elders, Nutrien and Arentz Barker-SRPL.