Hay sheep sale: Strong season results in high demand
Prices might not have hit the highs that were expected, but a good season saw prices for sheep consistent across the board at the Hay sale today. See the results.
YOUNG Merino ewes sold to $354 at Hay in NSW today in a sale that will be remembered for its price consistency rather than just the top money.
More than an hour into selling and there was still 2019 drop ewes pushing over $300 per head, with a range of $270 to $330 blanketing most of the yarding.
The good season played a role in the very strong outcome by not only driving demand, but also by producing an even run of sheep that took some of the quality associated highs and lows usually seen at such big sales.
“It has been a really great sale with prices really hanging-on well which comes down to the seasonal influence – there hasn’t been that much difference between the top ewes and the second run,’’ Merino breeder Graham Morphett, Alma at Booligal, said.
The annual draft of the Alma ewes sold to a top of $340.
The top price of the 30,000 head yarding was achieved by the McGufficke family, Bunumburt at Oxley for a pen of 201 ewes that were May-June 2019 drop, Alma and Bluebush blood and were July shorn.
As the sale was interfaced with AuctionsPlus for the first time as a way to allow Victorian buyers locked-out by COVID-19 border restricts to compete, all sheep had been weighed and assessed.
The Bunumburt ewes averaged 64.7kg liveweight to be amongst the heaviest maiden ewes in the yarding.
They were purchased by NSW first-cross ewe breeder Wes Kember of Ganmain, after he was loosing bidder on the Alma ewes at $340.
The sale did have a relatively soft opening, with confidence and momentum growing as the auction progressed and people appeared to become for comfortable crossing the physological barrier of $300 per head.
Mr Kember, who also operates the Gleneith Border Leicester stud, said the $354 price tag was probably $20 more than he had hoped to spend, but in reality the income being generated by quality ewes still made them a reasonable investment.
“We’ve had a ripping week,’’ Mr Kember said.
He told The Weekly Times they had sold first-cross ewes for $381 at the Narrandera special sale on Wednesday, followed by $191.60 for sucker lambs the next day at the Wagga Wagga prime market.
“That $381 would be the best we’ve had for young first-cross ewes, and those sort of results are the reasons why demand for quality ewes is so strong,’’ Mr Kember said.
Established first-cross breeders from across NSW were well represented across the lead runs of Merino ewes sold at Hay.
Some producers and agents said they had expected the sale to possibly have a higher top, based on recent results at store sales that don’t have the prestige of Hay.
Agent Mark Flagg, Barellan, said the best buying was in the lead drafts.
“It didn’t really have the ‘high’ high price that I thought maybe it would – at Hillston last week there was ewes at $360 – but it has been very solid and consistent,’’ he said.
“Maybe not having any Victorians here has taken a bit of the edge of it, as buying on AuctionsPlus is not the same as being here in person,’’ he said.
Apart from a handful of agents based near the Victorian-NSW border, the crowd was all NSW agents and farmers. There was some sales made on the AuctionsPlus system.
The following is how the opening pens of young Merino ewes tracked:
- Humewood $324
- Daisy Plains $336
- Tubbo $298
- Alma $340
- Bunumburt $354
- Budgeway $346
- Curragh $340
- Wargam $330
- Bronte $332
The season also underpinned very strong results across older ewes, with 2015 drop Merinos making up to $256.
Meat processors claimed the opening pens of unshorn Merino wether lambs at $155 and $154.
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LAST YEAR’S HAY SHEEP SALE RESULTS