Bendigo store sheep sale: new record set as prices explode

A new record was set for one-and-a-half year old ewes at the Bendigo store sheep sale. See which farmers sold the top priced pens.

Records were broken at the Bendigo sheep sale. Picture: File. Photo: Dannika Bonser

Big yarding, big crowd and big prices.

Today’s special first-cross ewe sale at Bendigo had everything to make it an event the sheep industry will use as a new selling benchmark.

The sale posted a new record of $516 for 1.5-year-old first-cross ewes, but it was the buying depth above $400 per head that made the sale a standout.

The $516 sale was achieved a few pens into the market for Allan and Janine Wiltshire for 98 heavy young ewes that, like all the top lots, had received the full suite of health treatments including mulesing.

“I was not expecting that price, I was just not expecting it,’’ said Allan: “I thought the opening pen of (Lyndia Cartwright’s) ewes would make it over $500, and they did, and then I thought the market would fall off but it hasn’t.’’

The feature draft of 1.5-year-old ewes bred by Lyndia Cartwright and family at Raywood sold to $508, with every sheep in the complete line of 1384 head making more than their top price of $448 achieved last year.

“It is a bit of a big thing to say you’ve sold a sheep for $500 – it is a milestone,’’ she said.

Today’s sale marked the first time all selling agencies combined at Bendigo to hold a one day sale, rather than splitting the yarding of two auctions.

There was more than 30,000 1.5-year-old and ewe lambs offered, easily making it one of the biggest specialist crossbred yardings held in southern Australia.

It drew out a huge crowd of agents and onlookers, with people packing the yards unlike the industry has seen for some time, particularly since the Covid outbreak.

Consistent bidding for 1.5-year-old ewes was the highlight of the sale, with the bulk of the ewes selling from $400 to $450 per head.

“On top of the world’’ was how breeder Andy Hay described the day after selling ewes for up to $500.

“We thought last year was exceptionally good at $440 to $460 and now we are $60 above that – you just wonder how far it can go,’’ he said.

“As a breeder I probably don’t want it to go much further than this or people could be priced out of it.’’

While buyers acknowledged it was big money to spend, the majority of those paying $400 plus had strong trading results from prime lambs and sheep to support the outlay.

Ballarat agent Leo White, who has had a long career in the lamb industry, said the figures were still in-line.

“I think these ewes are still pretty reasonable alongside what you can get for lambs and old ewes,’’ he said.

“Only very odd pens have made $500, although I must say this sale has hung on very well with ewes still making $450 way out the back pens.’’

The ewe lamb section, however, had a stickier than expected start for a top of $452 for the Melrose lambs.

This was only $10 above their top price last year.