MAINLY grazier demand supported last week's Jamestown market, where best breeding ewe prices lifted by between $20 and $30 on the previous sale.
Buyers attended from most areas of SA and the Vic Mallee, and a large part of the 20,000-head yarding consisted of mainly pastoral wethers.
The feature of the sale was a dispersal of ewes from Elsie Park, Lochiel, representing 51 years of breeding along various breedlines and more recently on Leahcim blood.
The Elsie Park breeding ewes topped their class at $146 for the 430 joined 2011-drops.
Elsie Park's 315 2009-drop ewes scanned in-lamb to crossbreds made to $144, and 350 2010-drops joined to Merinos made to $138.
Its 2012-drop ewes, totalling 440 and joined to Merinos, made to $152.
Topping the 2012-drops were ewes from Tony and Gen Moore, Caltowie, who sold 94 joined to White Suffolks to $162. PJ,MC&PG Kitschke, Jamestown, sold 105 same-age ewes run with crossbred rams, to $139.
Back in the breeding ewes, TR,LP&RJ Ellis, Jamestown, sold 130 2009-drops run with crossbred rams, to $131; Lagoona Trading sold 90 2011-drops run with crossbred rams to $124; and JH Pillow sold 90 2009-drops run with Merino rams, to $122.
Landmark Jamestown's Don Cullen said the sale highlight was certainly the Elsie Park dispersal.
"We had a huge amount of enquiry for those sheep from across SA and into Vic," he said.
"There was strong demand for the better ewes across the sale, particularly mated ewes, some of which were $20-$30 dearer."
He said some pastoral lambs getting to the end of their age groups were not so attractive for feedlotters, but grazier support was good.
* Full report in Stock Journal, March 27, 2014 issue.
Carla Wiese-Smith
Editor of SmartFarmer magazine.
Editor of SmartFarmer magazine.
