The first AuctionsPlus weekly commercial sheep and lamb sales for 2022 held on Tuesday, January 4th, had a total offering of 38,817 head listed across the two sales. While the first week of the new year is always rather quiet, listings from Tuesdays’ sale were 66% higher than the corresponding week in 2021. Although sheep and lamb listing numbers were comparatively low against a ‘regular’ sale week, the aftermath of a rain-disrupted end to 2021 may see January throughput considerably higher than in 2021.
The Tuesday National sheep sale had a total of 7,002 head offered online across 47 lots. Total clearance immediately following the sale was 68%.
Unjoined ewe categories accounted for 75% of the sheep sale catalogue this week. NSM Merino ewes were the most populated category in the sale, with a total of 2,562 head listed - accounting for 37% of the offering. Prices for the category ranged from $149-$232/head, to average $179/head. A highlight included a line of 560 rising 5-year-old NSM ewes from St George, Queensland, which averaged 58.7kg liveweight and returned $232/head – destined for Walgett, NSW.
Joined ewe listings, which have been very tight in recent months, reached 1,569 head, with a 100% clearance rate. From Temora, NSW, a line of 1.5-5.5-year-old SIL Merino ewes, which averaged 65.8kg liveweight returned $310/head - $50 over the reserve price to a buyer from Coonamble, NSW.
The National lamb sale listed a total of 31,815 head offered across 83 lots, with the clearance across all lamb categories totaling 75%. Victorian lamb listings accounted for 68% of the sale, with South Australia offering 20% of the catalogue.
Crossbred lambs accounted for 61% of the total lamb sale, with the category obtaining an 85% clearance. Prices for the category ranged between $134-$240/head, to average $160/head - a strong start to 2022, with prices $6 dearer than the final sale of 2021. From Cavendish Victoria, two even lines totaling 500 head of Jul/Aug ’21 drop White Dorper/Primeline future breeder ewe lambs, averaging 44kg liveweight returned $190/head.
Merino ewe and wether lambs were few and far between in the lamb sale this week, with numbers across both categories totaling 2,010 head - a comparatively smaller proportion than preceding weeks in 2021. The small offering of wether lambs saw prices range from $140-$160/head, to average $147/head - a $12 rise from the final sale of 2021 with the category returning a 96% clearance rate.
A large consignment of lambs from ‘Chatsworth House Pastoral Company’ in Southwest Victoria had a total of 6,700 new season lambs listed online, which all sold at auction. The listing included three even lines totaling 2,280 head of Aug ’21 drop Composite wether lambs, which averaged 43.2kg liveweight. A further offering of second cross mixed sex store lambs consisting of 4,320 head, split across six lots, went to several different successful purchasers located in NSW and Victoria.