FIRST-cross ewe prices lifted $10-$15 on the previous month’s sale at the Narromine Special Store sale on Wednesday.

Young unjoined first cross ewes ready to join sold to $164 and the best unjoined Merino ewes in a mostly lacklustre offering sold to $132. Two-year-old Merino ewes scanned in lamb to the Border Leicester ram made $112 and full-mouth Merino ewes scanned in lamb to the Poll Dorset ram made $118.

Landmark Narromine agent Ashley Gilchrist said agents yarded about 8000 sheep, down from an expected 9000-10,000 a few weeks ago, after rain kept a few lines in the paddock. Most ewes sold back into New South Wales – in the tablelands, Cowra, Oberon and Orange.

“The rain helped the sale, but it was the time of the year, with the spring joiners in the market to buy replacement ewes,” Mr Gilchrist said.

Narromine breeders Justin and Sarah Gainsford ‘Silverton’ sold 125 unjoined August-September 2013-drop May shorn ewes to the Howarth family at Orange for $164 to top the sale. The Howarths also paid $163 for Bellevue Rural’s 235 unjoined July-August 2013-drop March shorn first cross ewes.

Both lots were described as averaging more than 50 kilograms in average liveweight and ready to join. Justin Gainsford said the $164 price for his ewes was probably $10-$20 above expectations and “not too bad” considering the lamb market. His ewes had been finished on oats and native pasture. He sold the ewe’s wether siblings (estimated 26kg carcase weight) for $178 in Dubbo six weeks ago.

The Eumalga Partnership sold 410 unjoined August-September 2013-drop first cross ewes for $162, 201 for $160 and another 202 for $156. Other lighter young first cross ewes made $101-$130. A line of 367 5-1/2-year-old June shorn first cross ewes joined to the Poll Dorset ram made $118.

The top line of 333 unjoined September 2013-drop February shorn Roseville Park blood Merino ewes that sold for $132 to a Trangie buyer came from S. and D. Foran’s ‘Trelawney’ property at Narromine. Mr Gilchrist said the young Merino ewes yarded were mostly undergrown and underweight for joining. Other one to two-year-old Merino ewes made from $70 to $120 for 218 unjoined August-September 2013-drop July shorn Haddon Rig blood ewes from ‘Inverness’ at Warren.

A line of 242 four and five-year-old Haddon Rig blood July shorn Merino ewes scanned to the Poll Dorset for a October-November lamb, from A. and W. Lambell, ‘Weenya’, sold for $118 to a Coonamble buyer. Nardoo, A.L. Prime, sold 546 February-March 2012-drop Terrick blood Merino ewes scanned 122pc to the Border Leicester for $112.

The notable wether sale of the day was Botu Pty Ltd’s ‘Prairie Station’ line of 204 August-September 2013-drop March shorn wethers that were estimated at 28kg live and sold for $64 to an Elders Bendigo client.