Sheep sale to end the year clears a record for western town

Quality ewes that had health treatment boxes ticked drew the most interest in the final sale of the year.

Young crossbred ewes sold to $420 at Casterton last week in a sale that again highlighted strong buyer demand for well-bred and presented breeders.

The yarding of 7000 head was the last major store event for 2021, ahead of special store sheep sales scheduled for Ballarat and Deniliquin in January.

Andrew Wilson, from selling agents Nutrient of Casterton, said price outcomes for quality young ewes that had all the health treatments met expectations, while bidding was more selective over mixed lots that didn’t tick all the animal management boxes.

“First-cross ewes that had been OJD vaccinated and muesled sold very well, while some of the composite ewes went up a level to what we had been expecting,’’ he said.

Just two pens of ewes made over $400, with the bulk of the lead drafts from $350 to $390 per head.

Underneath this was a broad price range of $150 to $300, with the yarding including some ewe lambs, older ewes and rams.

Overall, Nutrien recorded an average of $312 across everything sold.

The most interest from buyers was in the lead pens of joinable one to 1.5-year-old ewes.

Top price honours at $420, and one of the highest sheep prices recorded at the Casterton saleyards, went to the Staude Partnership for 150 grown Border Leicester Merino-cross ewes that were shorn, fully vaccinated and muesled.

At $400 was the top pen of a draft of first-cross ewes that were offered in several penlots by

Matlock Pastoral. The ewes were all 1.5-years, November shorn, muesled and vaccinated and bred out of good bodied SA and WA Merino ewes.

The top line of 127 made $400, followed by sales at $388, $384, $380 and $376.

Matching the $400 was a line of 200 Composite ewes from the Grant family, which also had

additional lines sell at $386 and $358.

The bulk of the yarding stayed in the Western District area, stretching from Colac through to

Casterton. There was also some interest from South Australian buyers.