What sheep made at the Deniliquin sale

The sale was delayed due to weather and wet paddocks had an impact on prices at the Deniliquin sheep sale. See our expert analysis.

Buyers claimed there were some “massive opportunities’ at today’s Deniliquin sheep sale as floods and farmer unease over the outlook for mutton and lamb dragged back store ewe values.

The yarding didn’t have its full listing of 20,000 as once again wet conditions derailed the movement of stock.

This sale had already been cancelled once earlier in the spring.

The offering, made of a mix of crossbred store lambs, unjoined Merino ewes and some Merino wether lambs, was a stand-alone action and was not interfaced with AuctionsPlus.

In the breakdown, young Merino ewes nearing full wool sold to $273, White Suffolk Merino-cross ewe lambs to $150 and Merino wether lambs to $134.

Elders agent Ian Geddes whose client Rosebank sold the top priced Merino ewes at $273, described it as a “buyers market’’.

The 333 Rosebank ewes were August/September 2021 drop and in wool and were described as “front paddock sheep’’.

“They were supposed to go to Hay (to the spring ewe sale in September) and then to Jerilderie but the weather prevented it – they would have made over $300 per head at Hay,’’ Mr Geddes said.

“It is a buyers’ market. The mutton job has come back and people haven’t started to harvest yet so cash flow is a bit of a problem – that is the way I see it.’’

NSW farmer Michael Hughes, Pretty Pine, was a volume buyer, purchasing all the main age groups of the Mingawella flock dispersal from the Barclay family of Womboota.

The ewes were ex Western Australia from the Angenup stud and sold to a top of $240 for 662 two-year-olds that were April shorn.

“Prices are down a bit and there are some massive opportunities here,’’ Mr Hughes said.

“There is a lot of uncertainty at the moment and people just seem a bit flat . . . it is easy to see the dark in things sometimes with all that is happening (floods, etc). But with adversity comes opportunity.’’