KEITH
Yarding: 13,391
1.5 year old ewes to $346, av $239
4.5 year old ewes to $170, av $164
5.5 year old ewes to $190, av $156
Wether lambs to $152, av$137
AN OUTSTANDING pen of young Merino ewes from Lines family’s Gum Hill property at Mount Bryan have set a new $346 state saleyard record at the Keith Merino Breeders Association’s annual offshears sale.
The 231 head easily knocked off the previous $318 high set just last month at Pinnaroo.
Twelve pens surpassed last year’s $300 high at Keith as largely South East buyers dug in for the exceptional yarding of well-bred sheep.
Geoff & Bernadette Davidson, Moorundie, Keith, who topped last year’s sale were the first to beat their 2017 result for their 1.5 year olds.
Their 208 Moorundie blood, MN3 status sheep were knocked down for $320 to repeat buyers Miller Whan & John’s Mike Newton for Wayne and Josh Hancock.
DP&MM Densley, Keith, received $336 for 300 of their August shorn tops to Landmark Naracoorte.
The remaining 141 head of the Dalveen bloods made $285.
But the best was still to come when the large crowd reached the pen of April-May 2017 drops from Gum Hill Pty Ltd.
The September shorn, Gum Hill bloods, hit $346, the result leaving Justin Lines overwhelmed.
“We are very humbled with the support and that every year people are prepared to take on the sheep and value them quite highly,” he said.
“The Mid North season has been okay but not great so this is a credit to the people who work for us and the shearers who help present them.”
Buyer Chris Gilbertson, Millicent, said they were an “investment”, holding onto the young ewes they buy until they are seven years of age.
“We have had them (Gum Hill sheep) before and they have performed well,” Mr Gilbertson’s agent Scott Altschwager said.
Lines’ Gum Hill’s 123 seconds made $306.
Bidding was not as fast paced for the more than 3600 breeding ewes but very comparable to other recent offshears sales.
A pen of 189 5.5 year olds from Vandeleur Holdings, Tintinara, were the stand outs, making $190.
The Rices Creek bloods were bought by Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen’s Shaun Minge for Pembroke Pastoral Company, Telangatuk, Vic.
Three pens of wether lambs, 716 head, met strong processor interest.
Long-time sale supporters, the Allen family, Warrawee Park, Keith, topped the category with their 235 April-May 2018 drops making $152 to Midfield Meat.
They weighed about 48 kilograms.
Another 300 made $143, also to Midfield.