Wycheproof store sheep sale draws subdued bids

Store sheep supplies are still low, so the mild pace of bidding at the latest monthly Wycheproof store sheep sale came as a surprise. Analysis here.

Agents work hard to build prices at the Wycheproof store sheep sale. Picture: Jenny Kelly

JOINABLE size first-cross ewe lambs sold to $390 at Wycheproof last week to headline a sale that came across as flat, with the small crowd as much of a talking point as the prices.

There was just 6000 sheep yarded for the monthly sale, which was interfaced with AuctionsPlus.

While not a big feature yarding, the small roll-up of agents and onlookers was considered surprising given the strength of the lamb and mutton market and the general shortage of store stock.

“My real concern is the crowd and where are all the local people and farmers from central Victoria who would normally come to these sales to see the prices and what was happening?,’’ queried local breeder Greg McGurk, Charlton, after selling the top priced scanned-in-lamb Merino ewes for $315.

He said the usual excuses of farmers being on tractors or headers didn’t apply at this time of year, and he hoped it wasn’t a sign that people were loosing interest in attending physical markets now so much store sheep trading was being done online.

“Maybe now that so much trading is online they don’t see the necessity to come, and that would be a sad result as these sales not only provide information but are also a social catch-up,’’ he said.

There was deemed some good buying chances at Wycheproof last week, although a lot of people’s assessment of prices and value rested on how they judged the quality of sheep being sold.

The yarding did vary, and while there was some handy pens of sheep at the top of each run, quality did fade out into plainer and mixed lots, often in smaller lines of less than 150 head.

The sale opened on first-cross ewe lambs, and it was really only the first pen of 255 head from the O’Shannesy Brothers that had enough size and condition to join immediately.

Selling agents Elders called for $310 for the pen, and got a low start of $260, before selling for $390 to Ballarat agency TB White.

The adjoining pens of their sisters, that were on the borderline of being able to go with rams, sold for $300 or $90 per head less.

All the subsequent pens of ewe lambs were lighter conditioned types that required further growing out, and on a size and weight basis sold strongly.

The lead line of 340 May/June drop first-cross ewe lambs from Harris Farms sold for $258, followed by $222 for 168 head, while the third cut made $196.

There was only one lot of SIL crossbred ewes and they sold for $272 for 72 head that were 5.5 years and had been joined to Poll Dorset rams on 16/10.

Detected with 40 multiple pregnancies and 32 singles they were deemed buyable on current mutton returns for big ewes.

In the Merino section, Greg and Leonie McGurk received the top price of $315 for 435 young Merino ewes, April/May 19 drop that were beautifully shorn just 10-days off shears and had been joined to Border Leicester rams on 1/12.

They had been purchased out of West Australia and grown out, and many of the Merino ewes at Wycheproof last week carried WA bloodlines.

It was the only sale over $300, with the Casey family of Birchip receiving $286 for June/July 19 drop Merino ewes that November shorn and SIL to White Suffolk and Poll Dorset rams from 14/11.

Buyer Chris Nevins, Nevins & Co Bendigo, said the market didn’t have the sting they had anticipated.

“I reckon it has been a pretty flat sale. We expected to have to pay more for these ewes, and they have been making better money than that online,’’ he said.

Most of the better-framed joined Merino ewes ranged from $240 to $280, with older and plainer breeders down to $200.

Some key prices for unjoined Merino ewes included $225 for 145 head that were May/June 19 drop and November shorn, and $220 for 135 ewes which were May/June 2017 drop and of a similar shearing.

Agents did note that demand for unjoined ewes was limited at this time of the year, considered too late to join now which meant they had to be carried dry for some months.

Competition was from the Ballarat, Bendigo and local Wimmera/Mallee regions, with AuctionsPlus also claiming a few pens.

There was only one pen of Merino wethers in the sale which sold for $205 for 281 head that were June/July 20 drop, Kerri Kerri blood.