Naracoorte hits record $540 on its first pen of ewes
First-cross ewes have hit a record of $540 at Naracoorte's annual breeding sale, as better seasonal conditions and demand drives strong bidding.
First-cross ewes sold to a staggering top of $540 at Naracoorte in South Australia’s South East as an improved season, high lamb returns and a shortage of breeding ewes drove bids at the annual feature breeding ewe sale.
The high is believed to be a national record for first-cross ewes.
While there were only a handful of pens to sell below the $400 mark for the almost-12,000 one-and-a-half year old ewes yarded and the sale was strong throughout, the mood was upbeat but not buoyant.
This was to be expected after the pain of the last two seasons, with low returns then drought making it a two financial years of losses, or break-even at best, for most buyers who hailed from the local South East areas and western Victoria.
The region is now enjoying a great spring, and most buyers in the South East have sold off this seasons’s lambs at high rates, further backing their willingnes to shell out for new breeders.
Across the sale, ewes averaged $436.
The top pen was offered by David Eckert, Mentara Park Farms, Meningie and bought by local volume buyers, Graham Johnson, LS Johnston, Springbank.
The 111 May-June ‘24 drop ewes were by Deepwater Border Leicester sires from Binnum, mated to Merino ewes bred by the Eckert family.
Mr Johnson bought about 700 ewes all up, including $502 for the top pen offered by the James family from Coolawang Pastoral.
Their ewes were awarded the best presented pen at the sale.
Mr Johnson, who paid around $480 on average for the 700 ewes purchased in the sale, said the prices were ok considering he had already bought 80 per cent of his 2500 ewe requirements for the year at a lower price rate.
“So the average over the lot would be nowhere near today’s rate,” Mr Johnson said.
This spring had turned out to be the best since 2013 on his South East properties, and with 80 per cent of this year’s lamb drop already sold, Mr Johnson said lamb returns were $80 up on the previous year.
The two tough years leading into this result had seen the Johnsons reduce their sheep - due to labour - and lift cattle numbers.
Vendor Trevor James, Coolawang, said the price was welcome after the difficult past few years. The James’ sheep previoulsy held the record at Naracoorte, $538, set in 2021,
This year’s sale result was miles ahead of last year’s when 14,093 predominantly 1.5 year old and some older breeding ewes averaged $310 and peaked to $386 at Naracoorte.
However numbers for the feature sale were down on previous years, with some key vendors selling down their ewe numbers early due to the drought.
These included Ian Farley, Jabuk - a well-known, regular vendor at the sale - who only offered 102 ewes this year, which made $458, having sold off 600 in May, which went to slaughter.
“We sold them about May, we had no feed at all, country was blowing away,” Mr Farley said.
He moved to agist stock, put some in containment and even bought some more land - all in an effort to trty to hold his flock numbers.
“We have sheep here there and everywhere. They (paddocks) were all just drifting like a sea of sand, it was shocking. But we have got them all covered now. We had to destock 9000 acres.
“It’s a bit like a station, really. And then they take the sheep out and just for a year and let it recover.
“I think it will take four years for us to recover.
“We have had an inches of rain in the last three weeks.”
Other highlights included Deepwater Trust, Lochaber, sold a run for $502 and a second for $490; Lockhaven, had 95 that made $500 and Pembroke Pastoral, Telangatuk East, got $500 for 60.
