ONLINE sheep and lamb listings increased on AuctionsPlus last week, led again by New South Wales producers selling stock while battling the drought.
AuctionsPlus market operations supervisor Tom Rookyard said online sheep and lamb numbers rose 10 percent to 55,297 head.
“The market continued on a strong path with an 81pc clearance,” he said.
“Ongoing dry and drought conditions meant that New South Wales was once again the dominant state, making up 74pc of the listings.
“New season lambs made up 36pc of the listings, with 20,000 lambs offered.”
Maiden Merino ewes to $258
Young Merino ewe hoggets sold to $258 at the Bedarbidgal Merino flock dispersal at Hay in New South Wales last week. The 350 unjoined 14-15 month-old early August shorn hoggets weighed 40.1kg and were mostly in score 1 condition. Merino hoggets sold online from $100 to $258, with an average of $179.
Grown Merino ewes last week sold from $51 to $253 and averaged $159. The top price was paid for 376 2 year-old scanned empty early August shorn ewes in the Bedarbidgal dispersal at Hay. The ewes weighed 51.3kg and were mostly score 1. The mob was purchased by a buyer at Pyramid Hill in Victoria. A line of 4 year-old scanned empty ewes in the dispersal sold for $247 to a Victorian buyer at Ballarat.
Merino wether lambs sell to $136
Merino wether lambs continued to draw buyer interest this week, with a 92pc clearance nationally. Lambs sold from $70 to $136, and averaged $97.50, up $21 on the previous week. The top-priced mob was a line of April/May ‘18 drop, 40kg lambs at Karoonda, South Australia. The small offering of grown Merino wethers sold from $66 to $76 and averaged $69.
First cross ewes make $230
First cross ewe lambs sold from $138 to $210 and averaged $172, down $5. There was a 91pc clearance of the ewe lambs, while 76pc of unjoined first cross ewes sold. The top price of $230 was paid for 130 unjoined 22-26 month-old first cross ewes at Numurkah, Victoria. The mid-September shorn ewes weighted 69.7kg and were most score 5 in condition.
Mr Rookyard said there was plenty of interstate buying last week as good seasons in parts of western Victoria and South Australia continued. A line of May/June ‘18 drop mixed sex Poll Dorset cross lambs at Cootamundra, NSW, sold for $108 into Keith, South Australia. A line of April/May ‘18 drop White Suffolk cross lambs at Moulamein, NSW, sold for $116, also to a Keith buyer. A Naracoorte, SA, buyer paid $184 for a line of 11-12 month-old first cross scanned in-lamb ewes from Gilgandra, NSW.
New season lamb highlights
White Suffolk cross, Apr/May ‘18 drop, 31.2kg, $141, Wellington, New South Wales.
Poll Dorset cross, Apr/May ‘18 drop, 30.6kg, $141, Wellington, New South Wales.
Poll Dorset cross, May/Jun ‘18 drop, 30.5kg, $136, Oberon, New South Wales.
Poll Dorset cross, Apr/May ‘18 drop 32.4kg, $136, Bethungra, New South Wales.
Merino wethers, Apr/May ‘18 drop, 39.7kg, $136, Karoonda, South Australia.
White Suffolk cross, Apr/May ‘18 drop, 32.6kg, $134, Wakool, New South Wales.
Poll Dorset cross, Mar/Apr ‘18 drop, 32.9kg $133, Harden, New South Wales.
Click here to see where last week’s AuctionPlus listings came from.
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Source: AuctionsPlus.
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