Young ewe prices were nudged slightly higher to a seasonal high so far of $326 a head at the first of Bendigo’s annual crossbred ewe sales.
The sale of 17,000 was attended by a much smaller gathering of participating local buyers and lack of depth in the traveling gallery particularly from the west and southwest of the state.
The market toppers were a thumping pen of 129, bred at Prairie by Allan and Janine Wiltshire.
This October-shorn lot, ex large-framed Panarama-blood Merino ewes by Black Gate Border Leicester rams were dryland Lucerne grazed since weaning while the next-best priced sale, sold at $304, was a Terrick West and Black Gate combination, offered by Ravenshoe Pastoral, Ravenswood.
Most other first-draft pens from other district breeders made $265 to $292 a head while younger and smaller grown models, which struggled at times for interest, made $200 to $250.
A feature in recent years of this Elders and Landmark conducted sale has been the outstanding displays of the current season’s ewe lamb-drop. This year was no exception, although sadly it marked the end of a breeding era with the final presentation of the Manobar ewe lambs from the Berryman family, Moama, NSW who have sought a change to farming operation.
The Manobar ewe lambs, which were bred ex Alma-blood Merino ewes by Houlden BL rams, made in their final appearance $264 a head while AD & RL Gawne, Boort sold at $266 and $200 a line 205 ewe lambs ex Riverina ewes by Bayliss BL rams.
Other lots of ewe lambs also suitable for an early-Autumn joining made $200 to $254 a head while backgrounder ewe lambs were mostly sold from upwards of $150 a head.
A penning of 1000 first-cross wether lambs completed selling for the day. Also spring-shorn, these were sold mostly from $100 to $126 with two better sales made at $143 and $159.