2022 has seen a steady increase in the number of Tasmanian listings on AuctionsPlus for both sheep and cattle, with producers and agents reportedly adopting the platform to boost awareness and potential customers, especially from the mainland. For the first four months of 2022, AuctionsPlus weekly commercial Tasmanian sheep sales are up 38% on the same period last year, while cattle for the same period are up 40%.
For January to April, AuctionsPlus commercial sheep and lamb numbers out of Tasmania reached 41,256 head. While total sales increased 38%, the number of sheep heading across the Bass Straight so far in 2022 was down 9% on 2021, at 3,613 head. Contributing to the decline so far in 2021 has been reduced restocker interest, with the backlog of lambs through Victoria, along with ongoing supply chain disruptions.
In the past week, Tasmanian sheep numbers were boosted by the DM & K Ford dispersal, which offered 1,694 head across 15 lots from Cressy. The sale saw 100% clearance with Station mated ewes making up 76% of the offering, with the Cashmore Oakley and Cloven Hill ewes, ranging in age from 1.5 to 7.5 years, selling from $186 to $217 - averaging $186/head. 410 Cloven Hill and Coopworth SM ewe lambs were also offered as part of the dispersal, offered across four lots the Aug/Sep 21’ drop lambs averaged $201/head.
Mark Webb, Webb & Woodiwiss Livestock Marketing, stated that the dispersal vendors utilised the AuctionsPlus platform to gain maximum exposure for the sale along with the added ‘safety net’ of the stock remaining on farm and the flexibility to set start and reserve prices. Speaking to the increase in listings throughout the Tasmanian sales in 2022 Mark stated ‘AuctionsPlus is our preferred selling method as agents, while it is a bit more work for us, the return for our vendors is worth it’.
Tasmanian cattle offerings have increased 40% for the first four months of 2022, to 10,043 head, with mainland purchases up significantly, as the robust cattle market continues to see producers chasing quality stock. So far in 2022, 1,855 head of cattle have headed to the mainland, compared to only 248 for the same period in 2021.