JAMESTOWN
Yarding 12,000
Young ewes to $200
Wethers to $116
Younger Merino breeding ewes were in demand and attracted plenty of attention from competitive buyers at the Jamestown store sale on Thursday last week and helped pushed the sale’s top price to $200.
Compared with the last market, buyers from a greater spread of regions and interstate locations secured stock, with restockers once again stronger than the trade.
Approximately 12000 sheep were yarded, with a large amount of South East and Eyre Peninsula buyer representation, while Victorian producers from Nhill and Kaniva were also in attendance.
Landmark Jamestown’s Shannon Jaeschke said dry conditions led to lighter conditioned sheep from the North West pastoral areas slightly impacted on prices.
But, he said overall the market’s outcome was above expectations and offered a good opportunity for producers to buy sheep at eased prices.
“We initially thought it could be a bit of an eased market because of conditions being very dry in most areas but overall I thought vendors would be reasonably happy with the market’s result,” Mr Jaeschke said.
Younger breeding ewes were the biggest winners at the sale regaining $10-$15 and 2017-drop ewes were quoted as firm, with prices from $102-$152.
It was a run of 220, 3.5-year-old Gum Hill-bld breeding ewes from DA&SC Keatley, Appila, that fetched the sale’s $200 top price. The March-shorn ewes were bought by Elders Bordertown.
The same vendor also sold the second-highest price for breeding ewes and offered 70, 1yo North Ashrose-bld Merino ewes for $192.00 to the same buyer.
Owen Chandler Nominees, Ceduna, sold 284 rising 2yo White River-bld Merino ewes for $173.00 to EP Livestock, but slightly older ewes remained strong throughout the sale with 200 3.5yo ewes from GT Burt, Hawker, making $160.00
Merino ewe lambs were snapped up by Westech Ag, Kaniva, Vic, who secured 158 Baderloo-bld May/June 2017-drop ewes for $152 from Gumbowie, Peterborough, and a further 400 Kilmore-bld ewe lambs for $148 from GR Coleman, Jamestown.
The best 2017-drop wether lambs were $5 dearer and the top price reached $125 for 120 September/October 2017-drop crossbred lambs from RN Pycroft, Orroroo.
MR&BM Ramke, Lameroo, sold the second-highest price pen of wethers at $116 for a run of 259 June/July/ August 2017-drop Collinsville-bld Merino wethers.
Demand from SE boosts market
A quality, even line-up of sheep were offered at the Jamestown store sale last week but it was the increased bidding competition across the board that gave what was anticipated to be an eased market, raised prices.
Elders Jamestown livestock agent Scott Fleetwood said the sale was boosted by buyers from the South East.
“Overall sheep were in good condition but because it was a bit of an unknown about how the sale would perform this month, it was great to get a lot of phone calls from buyers in the SE and greater regions looking for sheep,” he said.
“The SE received a lot of rain and some producers have irrigation that they can utilise after they finished their lucerne harvest.”
Landmark Jamestown’s Shannon Jaeschke said it had been difficult to buy young ewe lambs because most producers would grow lambs out to hogget age.
“The age of the top price pen of ewes definitely helped as well – middle-aged and good condition breeding sheep do not come along too often,” he said.
