Naracoorte sale: Results for ewe lamb surge beyond $10 million

More than $10 million was spent at last week’s Naracoorte annual ewe lamb sale. Here’s what happened.

Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn and Steen livestock agent Josh Manser at Naracoorte, November 2020.

SHEEP producers spent $10.6m in three hours as demand for first-cross ewes peaked at Naracoorte’s annual ewe lamb sale.

The results of the previous week’s sale – where 1½-year-old ewes made $472 – set the scene but the results were judged as erratic by some of those who watched the sale.

Only registered buyers could attend due to COVID-19 shutdowns by the South Australian government, and buyers paid an average of $293 for the 36,309 ewe lambs offered.

Six pens of ewe lambs cracked $400 with the market toppers a pen of 128 which made $438 for vendors Sparks Farming, who sold their other two pens of ewe lambs for $400 each. Other sales of note included McPiggery which sold 593 first cross ewe lambs weighing 59-62kg for $420-$424 in three pens.

Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn and Steen sold 40 per cent of the yarding.

PPHS agent Josh Manser said he was happy the market had not seen extreme rates.

“At the end of the day, everyone needs to make money out of the sale and to average nearly $300 for 36,000-odd ewe lambs is very good,” Mr Manser said.

“There are highs and lows in every sale, but certainly there were repeat buyers chasing lines of sheep.”

One of the major vendors was Marmon Pastoral, Jabuk, SA, which sold 2389 first cross ewe lambs to a top of $360 for a pen of 229 ewe lambs which weighed 62kg.

The balance made from $270 for 45kg lambs up to $354 for a pen averaging 57kg.

Vendor Anthony Gergurke from Pairakie, South Australia, said some buyers were prepared to pay $50 more than last year for ewe lambs which were joinable weight, but selling heavier, well grown ewe lambs did not always translate to the highest prices. Mr Gergurke’s ewe lambs topped at $364 (60kg liveweight) with the second draft making $294.

“I think the ewe lambs we offered this year were the best we had ever bred, and we averaged just $3 a head more this year than last ($335 this year compared to $332 last year),” Mr Gergurke said.

“We were with the agent who was last in the selling order, and perhaps there was a push back from buyers by then, but lighter sheep than ours made more than ours earlier in the sale.”

In all, PPHS sold 14,869 ewe lambs to average $288; SAL sold 5114 to average $302.53; Nutrien Livestock sold 2925 to average $317; Thomas DeGaris Clarkson sold 1540 to average $267, and Elders sold 11,861 to average $292.

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