SHEEP sold extremely well at last week's Jamestown store market, with the yarding of 15,500 in strong demand by graziers, feedlotters and trade buyers from SA, Vic and NSW.
It's been quite a few years since wether lambs have topped $90 at Jamestown market, but demand for Martin and Daniel Kitschke's line of 304 June/July 2013-drop-December shorn, Greenfields blood wether lambs took them to $92.
Backgrounded on grain and good quality oaten and vetch hay, the wether lambs were the best on offer and went to the Rowe family's Princess Royal property at Burra.
Other lines of 2013-drop wether lambs from inside country also sold well, with prices up by between $13 and $18 for the best lambs and $15-$20 for the seconds.
A big percentage of the yarding was from the North West Pastoral Zone and Flinders Ranges pastoral country, many of these sheep showing surprising quality and freshness, given the dry summer.
Best station wether lambs were $15-$20 dearer and seconds $5-$10 dearer.
A price of $77 was paid for the best of 1700 April/May 2013-drop, February shorn wether lambs from the McLachlan family's Bulgunnia Station.
A much larger offering of 2012-drop wethers - most in store to forward condition - drew a lot of attention and added $5-$8. The best of them made $58-$75 and secondary types ranged from $45 to $50.
The market featured Jamestown's first large offering of scanned-in-lamb ewes which drew plenty of interest from interstate buyers.
Best 2012-drop ewes SIL made $75-$91.
Most of the breeding ewes from inside country made $90-$110 up $8-$10, the top line making $122 for a line of 66 April 2012-drop, August shorn ewes in Brinkworth farmer Trevor Ottens' dispersal sale.
Unjoined ewes also sold well, lifting by $10-$15.
Secondary types were also in demand, joined ewes lifting by $8-$10, and unjoined ewes lifting by $10-$15.
Sheep were also supplied from the West Coast, Flingers Ranges, Adelaide Plains, Yorke Peninsula and local areas.
* Full report in Stock Journal, February 27, 2014 issue.
