THE first pen of 1.5-year-old ewes offered at the 11,000-head Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen offshears sale caused a commotion at the Pinnaroo Showground on Friday after being knocked down at $390.
The 222 August-shorn Sandalwood Poll-blood young ewes were offered by last year's sale-toppers EV&SM Francis, Mindarie, who were blown away by the result.
Elwyn Francis said it had been a successful two-year involvement in the sale.
"We only just cracked the $300s last year, which was good, but this result is unbelievable," he said.
"But it has also taken a lot of hard work.
"We do an early weaning process, and because of the season, we have had to keep the feed up to them as these ewes didn't see green feed until the start of July.
"But this result has helped make that effort well worth it."
The Francis family sold a second pen of 184 young ewes at $368.
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Pen 2 from LC&BJ Singh, Loxton, made the sale's next best young ewe price of $388 for 74 August-shorn Glenlea Park/Hamilton Run-blds, bound for the South East, while the Singhs also sold 221 4.5yo at $300 and 237 4.5yo ewes at $294.
DS Piggott, Pinnaroo, sold 104 July-shorn June/July 2020-drop Ridgway-bloods at $382 to PPH&S and a second pen of 50 at $240.
Also performing well were VR&AM Hawthorne, Pinnaroo, with their complete drop of 109 August-shorn Ridgway-blds making $380 to PPH&S, while JR&WK Wiencke, Karoonda, sold 304 August-shorn Ramsgate-blds at $354 at PPH&S.
Two vendors also chose the sale to disperse, including TA Ford, Murrayville, Vic, who sold 115 August-shorn Ridgway-blds at $362 to B&D Francis, through PPH&S, plus another 41 young ewes at $304.
BS&JA Wallis, Pinnaroo, also dispersed at the sale - making a move from breeding ewes to trading lambs - with their 159 July-shorn June/July 2020-drop Glenlea Park-blds attracting $302 on AuctionsPlus.
The Wallis family also topped the older breeding ewe section with 46 July-shorn 2.5yo Glenlea Park-blds at $355; while 146 3.5yo made $336; 62 3.5yo made $330; and 102 4.5yo reached $286.
Broadlands Pastoral, Peake, was also one of the sale's largest young ewe vendors, selling 181 April-shorn Collinsville-bld June/July 2020-drop Merino ewes at $330; 111 at $310; 149 at $294; 96 at $288; 403 at $284; and 50 at $240.
Broadlands also sold 252 July-shorn 5.5yo at $224.
Wether lambs were also offered, with Thiel Farms, Pinnaroo, receiving the sale top of $164 for 189 woolly May/June-drop Glenlea Park/Gunallo-blds, while a second pen of 87 made $139.
The Thiels also sold 30 August-shorn 1.5yo ewes at $352.
CJ&SA Edwards, Lameroo, sold 70 April-drop woolly Gunallo-bld wether sucker lambs at $159 and a second pen of 48 at $140, but it was their 66 April-drop woolly Gypsum Hill-bld mixed-sex crossbred sucker lambs that topped that section at $188, while a second pen of 77 made $170 and third pen of 52 made $139.
NJ&FJ Atze, Pinnaroo, offered lots in each Merino section of the sale, with their 166 July-shorn Sandalwood Poll-bld 1.5yo ewes making $328; 165 5.5yo ewes making $246; 155 woolly wether suckers lambs making $155 and a second pen of 190 making $139.
NL&MA Wormald, Veitch, sold 100 July-shorn Ridgway-bld 1.5yo ewes at $346 and 81 5.5yo at $242; while IF&MH Kramer, Murrayville, sold 119 August-shorn Glenlea Park-bld 1.5yo ewes at $352 and 90 5.5yo at $258.
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