Spring sales: Breeding ewe prices hit $500
It wasn’t long ago farmers were stunned when young breeding ewes were making $300. This spring buyers will need hundreds more.
Ewe buyers could need close to $500 to secure the best lines of breeders at sales this spring.
The $500 mark was set at the Temora/West Wyalong district first-cross ewe sale in NSW last week where three pens made $500, with the sale average $160 up on last year.
Quade Moncrief Livestock and Property agent Paul Quade said it was a “cracking sale” with the average of $464 a stellar result especially as it included ewe lambs.
The top pens were 14-17 months and weighed about 70kg liveweight.
Mr Quade said buyers were doing their sums, valuing the cash-in price of an old ewe at more than $200 and an early sucker at $250, which gave them a base amount of $450-plus to spend on replacements.
“We saw the big prices set at Hillston earlier in the week and people put two and two together,” Mr Quade said.
“The talking point of the sale was the quality of the sheep and how people were prepared to pay for it.”
Hillston had set the benchmark at its annual spring sale where the Peters family’s Ballatherie Merino ewes, 16-17 months, June shorn and weighing about 66kg, made $468-$480 for 500 ewes.
And vendors at this week’s Hay sheep sale where 36,000 breeders will be offered are hopeful of a repeat of the high rates already set. The sale is interfaced with AuctionsPlus due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Graham Morphett of Alma at Booligal, NSW, will sell maiden ewes at this week’s Hay sale and said producers were reaping the reward of a widespread good season across much of eastern Australia.
“It is great to see that we could have buyers from all around thanks to the green grass everywhere,” Mr Morphett said.
“There will be a mob or maybe more than one that will make $500 at the sale this week but even if they didn’t and they made $450, it is still a great price.”
Mr Morphett said it was not long ago when vendors were stunned when the $300 mark was broken for young Merino ewes, and now prices were likely to near $500.
“I’m not saying that all ewes will make $500, of course, but agriculture progresses and prices progress,” he said.
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