Joined Ewes: The Underlying Quality Fundamentals That Dictate Prices

Recent analysis from AuctionsPlus Insights (Joined ewes: Pregnancy Scanning, Premiums and Price Expectations) shows that scanned in lamb (SIL) ewes receive considerable premiums over station mated ewes, while other key fundamental factors driving the price differential can also weigh significantly into the prices returned. Scanning information, bloodline and breed of the sire joined also hold considerable weight in the purchase decisions and overall price point for breeding stock.

The ability to scan for singles and multiples allows producers to optimise the premium received for SIL lines. Factoring the time and extra cost to identify single and multiple joining provides buyers with additional information, resulting in more informed purchasing and decision making to optimise lambing percentages and management. Since 2021, the average premium achieved for listing Merino SIL stock with single and twin information is $9/head, while those lines that have over 50% of the offering scanned as twins receive a $14/head premium.

In addition to the premium received when scanning for singles and multiples, lines that are offered with these details are returning a higher clearance rate at auction. As expected, this points to increased buyer confidence in securing joined stock - particularly SIL to twins/multiples, as subsequent lambing numbers and percentages will be higher. Since 2021, SIL Merino ewes which are scanned to twins/multiples achieve an average clearance rate of 75%, compared to their single counterparts which achieved a 65% clearance rate. Diving deeper into twin/multiple bearing SIL ewes revealed that offerings with 50% or greater scanning to twins/multiples return an 80% clearance, compared to 68% for offerings of less than 50% to SIL to twins/multiples.

Looking to the breed of the sire joined and marketed in April – June each year, White Suffolk sires accounted for the largest proportion of SIL Merino ewe sires for three of the past five years (table 2). Since 2018, SIL sire breed joining for Merino ewes is largely dominated by meat sires, while the opposite trend is the case for station mated offerings, with Merino sires dominating. The significant shift in the respective portion of sire breeds joined to Merino ewes across the five-year period is also representative of a flock rebuild and shifting seasonal conditions.

In April and May 2022, Merino ewes sired to White Suffolk rams account for the largest proportion of both SIL and SM ewes - totalling 30% and 55% of listings respectively (Table 2). Looking further into station mated listings, a significant shift in joined sires has been witnessed across the five-year period, with Merino rams accounting for 56% of sires in 2018 and reducing to 9% in 2022.

While 90% of the time lines offered as SIL will receive a premium, the high demand for any joined stock reduces this price margin. In recent years the high demand of shedding breed ewes, has highlighted this with lines of station mated ewes selling for greater than SIL equivalents.

Ultimately, while a considerable margin exists between joined ewe offerings listed as SIL or station mated, peeling back further underlying factors driving price points provides a more comprehensive insight into price and demand of breeder sheep. The scanning status (single or twin/multiple bearing ewes) as well as sire breed are important factors considered by buyers - which in turn have a significant weighting into both price and clearance rates achieved across joined ewe listings. With restocking momentum slowing in 2022 and buyers becoming increasingly selective with purchasing decisions, it is clear that producers are doing plenty of research to ensure they get the right animal for the right price.