Wethers to $103 at Jamestown sheep market

The first pen of the sale - 454 August-shorn May/June 2015-drop Greenfields-bloods from LR&CH Nutt, Black Rock - made the $103 top price for wethers, selling to Thomas Foods International – the only trade buyer there for the day.

The Nutt family also sold the top-priced young ewes – 250 November-shorn June/July 2014-drop Glenville-blds – at $152, while a second pen of 209 made $141.

John L Quinn & Sons, Mt Bryan, also cracked $100 for Merino wethers with his 200 Oct-shorn April/May 2015-drop Gum Hill-blds; while a second pen of 250 crossbred lambs made $101.

Waterman Rural, Melrose, also sold Merino wethers – 207 Sept-shorn May/June 2015-drop Gum Hill-blds at $98; while Berry Springs sold 131 Oct-shorn April/May 2015-drop Allala-bld wethers at $97 to Mark Flagg Livestock, Barellan, NSW. 

Mark Flagg Livestock also bought two wether lots from N&C Klingner, Crystal Brook – 225 September-shorn May/June 2015-drop Springvale North-bld wethers at $93 and 211 at $89.

Mr Flagg bought 2205 head at the sale, averaging just over $90, for Crown Camp Farming, near Ungarie, in the northern Riverina, to be put out onto crop stubbles.

It was the first time at the sale for Mr Flagg, who said they were unable to source the lambs locally in NSW.

“Shorn lambs just aren’t available this year, with most being sent over-the-hooks,” he said.

“We were targeting the better quality lots, with good growth and size, because they need to be sold off before April next year.

“Prices were stronger than we had hoped, particularly because we have to add $7-$8 a head in freight, but we had to buy enough to fill the truck.”

The truckload also included two wether lots from CH Laucke, Eudunda, who sold 639 Oct-shorn June/July 2015-drop Gum Hill-blds at $92 and another 251 at $87. 

South Gap Pastoral, Port Augusta, also sold woolly wethers, with 257 June/July 2015-drop Glenville-blds making $94 to Landmark Melrose and 180 selling at $85 to Landmark Mount Pleasant, while its pen of 134 November-shorn 2014-drops made $80 to EP Livestock.

Burk & Dawson also sold older wethers – their 297 October-shorn May/June 2014-drop Nyowee-blds made $83, to TFI.  

Crossbred lambs sold to $111 for Miller Pastoral Co, who offered 151 October-shorn April/May 2015-drop Suffolk-crosses, while woolly crossbred lambs topped at $104 for 378 June/July 2015-drop woolly lambs from Yadlamalka Props, Hawker, which were knocked down to Landmark Swan Hill.

Yadlamalka Props also sold a second pen at $103 to Landmark Loxton; a third pen of 211 at $96 to Hill Livestock; a fourth pen of 268 at $94; while a fifth pen of 60 made $78.

Landmark Jamestown auctioneer Don Cullen said wethers made up the majority of the 18,000-head yarding, with prices $10-$12 dearer selling mainly between $85-$98, while best shorn crossbred lambs were $8-$10 dearer selling from $94-$111, and best woolly crossbred lambs were firm to $5 dearer, ranging from $94-$104.

“The feature of today’s sale was the strong interstate competition from Walgett and Barellan in NSW and Swan Hill, Ouyen and Kaniva in Vic,” he said.

“The buyer from Walgett was also another major player, taking home almost 2000 young ewes.”

Best 2014-drop ewes were $8-$10 dearer selling to $152 for the Nutt lot, with most making from $110-$137, while large drafts of young pastoral ewes sold to $116, which were also $10-$15 dearer.

Moonaree Pastoral, Port Augusta, sold nearly 1900 November-shorn June/July 2014-drop East Bungaree-bld ewes, with one lot of 1427 across six pens sold to Spence Dix at $89, and another pen of 472 making $70.

Wartaka Pastoral, Port Augusta, also sold 1000 November-shorn June/July 2014-drop East Bungaree-blds, with 220 sold at $116 to Landmark Balaklava, 220 at $114 to Landmark Melrose, 220 at $108 to Landmark Port Augusta, and 352 at $67 to Spence Dix.    

The final Jamestown market for the year is on December 10.