Kicking off the first day of February, AuctionsPlus’ two commercial sheep and lamb sales had a total of 92,850 head offered – a 5% rise from last week.
The National lamb sale had a total of 51,580 head offered across 194 lots. A total clearance of 75% was reached following the close of the auction, with the sale attracting 1,159 user logins.
Merino wether lambs saw a rise in listings this week, with the category offering 17,898 head. The increased offering returned a 71% clearance, with prices softening week on week to average $134/head. A large run consisting of 1,150 store wether lambs from Dirranbandi, Queensland, weighing 33.6kg liveweight returned $150.5/head.
Crossbred lambs had a total of 12,644 head listed, which sold to a 76% clearance as the category returned an average of $154/head - back $6 from last week. Composite/other breed lambs saw listings total 10,357 head, with the category returning the highest clearance of 86%. Prices for the category ranged from $133-320/head, to average $174/head.
Smaller offerings of first cross and Merino ewe lambs were met with low clearance rates, with distance between both buyer and seller price point expectations.
The National Sheep sale had a total of 41,270 head offered across 231 lots. A total of 1,185 user logins occurred during the sale, with clearance rates reaching 70% overall post sale. Joined ewe listings rose again this week, with SIL ewes accounting for 31% of the catalogue while station mated ewes accounted for 10%.
SIL Merino ewe listings increased by 150% on last week, to total of 9,112 head. The category returned a 70% clearance - down slightly on last week, however prices remained strong to average $272/head. A highlight included a line of 370 SIL ewes aged 1.5 years from Dubbo NSW, which returned $378/head.
Joined shedding breed ewes continued to be met with fierce demand, with a highlight from the sale including 17 SIL Australian White 3-year-old ewes from ‘Bungarley Stud’, Tarcutta NSW. Joined to Tattykeel rams, the ewes weighed an average of 70kg and returned $1,000/head.
The NSM Merino ewe category had the largest offering this week with 11,578 head listed. Clearance rates rose significantly for the category, reaching 91%, while the category averaged $248/head.