Warren McRae, Gre Gre North dispersed a line of 1.5 year-old Oakbank blood young ewes following the sale of an outlying block.

A STUD breeder’s line of young classed commercial Merino ewes sold to $378 a head at a sparsely attended Elders Wycheproof end-of-February store sheep sale on Friday.

This headline-writing result was a planned reduction of the renowned Oakbank Merino flock by Warren and Jack McRae, Gre Gre North following the sale of an outlying block, west of St Arnaud.

The 550 unjoined January-shorn rising two year-old breeders – said to cut nine kilograms of 20-micron wool as adult sheep – were offered as two drafted pens. Long-term Oakbank bloodline user, Ian Shields of Dookie, paid $378 for 152 of the ewes.

A second run of 153 head made $368 with Darren, Sharon and Phil Cole of Gower East and a third line of 246 sold for $325 to the Cole family in the American Ranges, east of Logan.

Ian Shields from Dookie, right, with his right-hand man, Grant Meadows, bid $378 to secure a run of the young Oakbank blood ewes.

Speaking on behalf of the selling agent, Sam Crow from Elders Wycheproof, said in spite of the recent softness of the store sheep market, and the limited buyer attendance, the Oakbank result was in keeping with other top-end stud breeder commercial sales made during the Spring.

Buyers and the sellers should be very happy with this result, Mr Crow said.

Similarly, at the opening the market, the sale of a scanned-in-lamb lot of 140 young first cross ewes, joined to White Suffolk rams with 36 multiples, topped the crossbred ewe section of the 4500-head yarding at $352.

The June/July 2020 drop September shorn lot was offered by D.C. Kronk, Shelbourne, and was sold to Elders Kyneton over the telephone.

Watch Sheep Central’s complete after sale interview with Sam Crow:

https://www.facebook.com/SheepCentral/videos/4838494379568896

Sharon, Darren and Phil Cole, Gower East, with their agent Chris Nevins, FP Nevins and Co, purchased 400 of the young Oakbank blood ewes.

Also sold on a bid placed on the phone was the top-priced $296 line of unjoined 121 first cross ewe lambs, April/May 2021 drop and November shorn from Nedna P/L of Woomelang. The mulesed and Gudair-vaccinated ewes sold to an Elders Bendigo client. A second Nedna line of 221 ewes made $282 to an at-the-rail bid placed by the Elders Barham branch.

A further Nedna yard of 157 rising one year-old Autumn drop January shown first cross ewe lambs made $295. Most other vendor sales of Autumn drop rising one-year-old first ewe lambs made $214- $265.

Watch vision of the opening crossbred ewe sales:

https://www.facebook.com/SheepCentral/videos/370563931577863

Sales of scanned-in-lamb Merino ewes were led by an un-advertised line of 760 2019 drop Nepowie-blood rising three year-olds, joined from October to December to White Suffolk rams offered by F.A. & S.M. Coghlan, Wedderburn. These made $252 for 276 head and $210 for 175, and another 309 of the same description, joined to Border Leicester rams sold for $266.

These lots were sold to buyers from Avoca, Barham and Euroa. Wycheproof vendor J.A. Ison sold 247 Collinsville blood four and five year-old ewes joined to WS rams and scanned with 150 multiple detections for $260.

Other small lots of scanned in-lamb 2020 drop Merino ewes made $252-$260.

Merino wethers make to $158

Scott Leslie, Euston, NSW, with the Leslie family’s Gulthul Merino wethers that sold to $158.

Merino wethers from two vendors sold from $132-$158 in the sale.

The first sold was an August shorn line of rising May 2021 drop, Tamaleuca blood, Gulthul bred wethers offered by the Leslie family of Euston, NSW, that made to $158.

The other was a line of November shorn Roseville blood June/July 2020 drop wethers from Fermoy of Wycheproof that made $144.