CENTRAL west New South Wales buyers dominated online sheep and lamb buying via AuctionsPlus in Australia last week.

The region’s producers and processors bought 7272 head, or more than 10 percent of the sheep and lambs offered on AuctionsPlus, focussing mainly on Merino wethers and wether lambs.

Processors from New South Wales and Victoria were active online last week, especially on a line of 1700 wethers from Thurloo Downs, Wanaaring, NSW, that sold for 609c/kg carcase weight. The wethers were estimated to weigh 23kg cwt and they had a 4cm fleece.

NSW buyers purchased 23pc of the national online offering, followed by Victoria 13,412 head, Queensland 6361 head and South Australia 2551 head.

AuctionsPlus said sheep and lamb numbers rose by 20,009 head to 69,840 head last week.

Merino ewe prices increase

Unjoined Merino ewe hoggets sold from $148 to $273, averaging $194, down $6. The top-price was paid for 12-13 month-old unjoined Merino ewe hoggets at Womboota in NSW. The ewes were bred on Leahcim bloodlines, with SRS genetics used in the flock for the past nine years. A line of 14-21 month-old ewe hoggets at Eudunda, South Australia sold for $215.

Young Merino ewes 2-4 years-old sold from $175 to $259, to average $210, up $10 on last week. The top price was paid for scanned in-lamb June/July 2017 drop ewes at Deniliquin, NSW, by a Victorian buyer at Bendigo. The ewes were scanned in-lamb to White Suffolk rams. Older Merino ewes sold from $171 to $286, to average $207, up $35 on last week.

Merino wether lambs sell to $150

Merino wether lambs sold from $81 to $150 and averaged $124. up $3 on last week. The top price was paid for September/October 2018 drop wether lambs at Cooma, NSW. The lambs weighed 37kg lwt and has 6.5cm fleece.

Merino hoggets and grown wethers sold from $80 to $173, averaging $122, down $3 on last week.

First cross ewe lambs sell to $271

AuctionsPlus offered 3545 first cross ewes and ewe lambs last week and achieved a clearance of 81 percent. They sold from $122 to $290 and averaged $229. A line of 11 to 12 month-old unjoined first cross ewe lambs at Parkes, NSW sold for $271, to a buyer at Grenfell. They weighed 54kg lwt.

New season lambs roll in

Producers offered 9610 new season store lambs on AuctionsPlus last week — about 14pc of the total sheep and lamb yarding – and about 58pc were sold.

• Poll Dorset cross, March/April 2019 drop, 36.6kg lwt, $175 or 465c/kg lwt, Forbes, NSW.
• First cross wethers, March/April 2019 drop, 42.7kg, $160 or 374c/kg, Narromine, NSW.
• Poll Dorset cross, March/April 2019 drop, 40.8kg, $158 or 387c/kg, Molong, NSW.
• White Suffolk cross, April/May 2019 drop, 31.2kg, $143 or 458c/kg, Veitch, SA.
• Charollais cross, April/May 2019 drop, 26.7kg, $135 or 505c/kg, West Wyalong, NSW.
• White Suffolk cross, May/June 2019 drop, 26.5kg, $130.5 or 492c/kg, Orroroo, SA.