AuctionsPlus commercial sheep and lamb sale listings eased again this week with 54,535 head offered - down 21% on the previous week. Following the trends of recent weeks, the sheep and lamb market registered mixed results. Selective buying paired with wintery conditions caused joined ewe categories to ease on last week, while Merino and crossbred lambs saw a price spike.
Crossbred lamb numbers eased this week with 5,709 head offered – down 9% on last week. With selective buying seeing a 50% clearance achieved late Thursday, prices averaged $135/head – up $5. From Quorn, South Australia a line of 55 Suffolk/Merino mixed sex store lambs, weighing 30kg lwt sold for $30 over reserve at $130/head.
Both Merino lamb categories registered a jump on last week’s prices. Merino wether lambs had the largest lamb offering for the week with 9,885 head offered. The increased offering was met with robust demand with the category achieving a 62% clearance late Thursday and averaging $136/head – up $31. Merino ewe lambs averaged $239/head – up $101, with the 1,980 head achieving a 93% clearance rate. From Forbes, NSW a line of 225 future breeder ewe lambs averaging 47kg lwt returned $259/head.
The breeding ewe market saw all categories except SM shedding breed ewes ease on last week, with clearance rates impacted by selective buying. SIL Merino ewes, with 10,117 head experienced strong post sale negotiations sitting at 78% clearance late Thursday – up from 60% at the immediate close of sales Tuesday. Prices averaged $202/head – easing $19 on last week. Topping the category at $289/head was a line of 400, 12-13-month-old ewes from West Wyalong, NSW weighing 52kg lwt and SIL to White Suffolk rams.
SIL first cross ewes eased $8 on last week averaging $246/head. Selective buying was prevalent with the offering falling by 24% on last week for the 3,903 head and achieving a 42% clearance rate. From Ararat, Victoria a line of 170 Border Leicester/Merino 11-12-month-old ewes, weighing 51kg lwt and SIL to Suffolk rams returned $260/head.
SIL shedding breed ewes saw 864 head offered averaging $231/head – back $114. The smaller offering for the category was met with increased demand seeing a 72% clearance rate. From Augathella, Queensland a line of 500 rising six- and seven-year-old Dorper ewes, weighing 69kg lwt and SIL to White Dorper rams returned $226/head.
Merino ewe hoggets averaged $143/head – back $57 on last week with the 1,155 head achieving a 100% clearance. From Quilpie, Queensland a line of 800, 22-23-month-old ewe hoggets weighing 43kg lwt returned the top price for the category at $190/head.
NOTE: Prices as at 5pm, Thursday 7th July 2022