‘Dearest’ NSW Riverina Merino sale ever held at Jerilderie

This is Caroline Heath, Wikari, with the John Wells Memorial Shield and inaugural Mark Wettenhall best-presented pen award, which the family won at the latest Jerilderie sheep sale. See more pictures here.

Caroline Heath, Wikari, with the John Wells Memorial Shield and inaugural Mark Wettenhall best presented pen award which the family won at Jerilderie. Picture: Jenny Kelly

YOUNG Merino ewes sold to $382 at Jeriliderie in southern NSW today to headline what is being touted as possibly the dearest Merino sale held in the Riverina.

Prices easily exceeded the benchmark Hay sale held last month, where prices reached $354.

At Jerilderie this morning an estimated 75 per cent of the young 2019-drop ewes, all bare shorn, sold above $300 with a number of pens above $350.

All sheep in the 10,000-head yarding were outstanding for condition, and the sale had a stronger southern buying influence compared to the opening Merino sales held last month.

Top price honours at $382 went to breeders Craig and Caroline Heath from Wiraki for their pen of 158 ewes, which were May/June 2019 drop, Willandra blood and September shorn. They had averaged 73.9kg liveweight when weighed for AuctionsPlus, which was interfaced with this sale for the first time due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Bidding picks up at Jerilderie where most young ewes sold for more than $300. One breeder described it as a “return of the good old days”. Picture: Jenny Kelly

The ewes won the inaugural best-presented pen award, which began this year to honour noted local breeder Mark Wettenhall from Cara Pastoral who was tragically killed last year.

For Caroline, the award plus the price made it a memorable day for them, particularly as they are moving out of breeding into running wethers to allow Craig to help their son Angus with the Willandra Merino stud.

“The ewes were the tops of the drop but, yes, the price did exceed our expectations,’’ she said.

“$360 would have been a very good price — lamb and sheep are selling well and there is more rain coming and people seem to have a bit more confidence.’’

Craig and Caroline Heath, Wikari, with their best-presented young Merinos, which topped Jerilderie at $382. Picture: Jenny Kelly

The ewes were booked to NSW stock agency Mannes at Coleambally and are believed to be destined for meat rams.

Other top prices under this included:

$378 for 226 of the Amaroo ewes which were split from a pen of 452 head, with the balance making $368;

$374 for 199 ewes from Innesvale Pastoral;

$362 for 201 of the Cara ewes;

$360 for 383 of the Sleigh Pastoral ewes; and

$352 for 413 of the Tristan ewes.

Vendor Fiona Wettenhall, Cara, described the prices as “amazing’’ and said it was easily the best money they had ever achieved. To put it in perspective, Cara had topped this Jerilderie sale for the past two years with prices of $280 and $285.

The bulk of the yarding sold to agents and farmers at the physical auction, with the AuctionsPlus network seemingly unable to match the intensity of demand shown at the saleyards.

There was a solid southern influence, with sheep booked to Ballarat, Bendigo, Bairnsdale and Finley.

First-cross ewe breeder Andy Hay, who is preparing to sell 600 first-cross ewes and lambs at next month’s big Bendigo crossbred sales, paid $340 for Merino ewes at Jerilderie.

He said the price was in the ballpark using the old calculating system of an old cull ewe and a sucker lamb being used to fund a replacement breeder.

“Good old ewes are making close to $200 and now the sucker market has improved you can get $200 for young lambs. That ewe and lamb together adds up to $400 so the best young breeding ewes are going to make close to that, which is what happened today,’’ he said.

The upset price for young ewes was about $280, with buyers really needing $300-plus to be competitive on the main lines.

Strong prices continued for proven 2015-drop ewes which reached a top of $262 for the Willandra ewes.

Noted Merino breeder Ross Wells, Willandra, said this sale marked the return of the good old days when Jerilderie often headed the price table. In recent years the market has often softened behind Hay.

“This is the way it used to be forty years ago,’’ he said.

“Before this sale I said that three quarters of the young ewes would make over $300 and I reckon the percentage is probably even better than that,’’ he said. “I had high expectations coming in and they have been met.’’

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