The benchmark sale at Hillston, NSW, sees just one pen at $200

All eyes were on Hillston today for the annual sheep sale to set the tone for coming markets. Full sale analysis here.

Sheep prices broke the $200 mark just once at the Hillston store sheep sale today in a precursor of what might happen at spring sales.

Auctioneers battled to gain bids as the dive in lamb and prime sheep markets took its toll on what buyers were prepared to outlay for Merinos.

The sale’s top price was paid for the tops of the 2022-drop ewes from Apsley at Goolgowi, NSW, with the Ballatherie-blood Poll Merinos making a neat $200 for shorn future breeders, with the seconds from the same draft making $152.

But the crowd seemed reluctant to show their hands, and bids were slow and hard to come buy.

Eight pens of ewes made $150 or more, or about 2000 ewes in total including the top price pen.

Lower lamb and mutton prices are taking their toll on replacement ewe values.

Mark Flagg Livestock and Property director Mark Flagg from Barellan, NSW, attended the sale and told The Weekly Times there were notable absences from the crowd.

“There was not the usual mix of buyers there today,” Mr Flagg said.

“I’ve never felt so much that people just don’t want to buy sheep at the moment, and while the mixed operations might not grow any more crop, they might just move out of sheep.”

Mr Flagg said the dive in prices added to challenges sheep producers had already faced in terms of shearer shortages, and the low returns were the last straw for many.

It was one of his clients that topped today’s sale at Hillston, and Mr Flagg said the prices were still reasonable.

“If someone had come to me and offered me $200 before the sale here today, I would have grabbed them with both hands and not let them go,” he said.

An overview of the selling at a previous Hillston sale.

One trend he did notice was the lack of premium for the top lines, with producers seeming to have a ceiling on what they wanted to pay.

In an age breakdown for Merino ewes:

2-1/2-year-old ewes made $120;

3-1/2-year-olds made $85;

4-1/2-year-olds made to $88 for a pen with wool (not bare shorn); and

5-1/2-year-olds sold from $65-$78.

There was one pen of 40kg unshorn Merino wether lambs on offer, which sold for $40.

Last year, Mr Flagg paid about $400 for Merino ewes at the Hay sheep sale and said it was hard to know how the signature sale would fare next week.

“You would think the best ewes might make $230-$240 at Hay next week, but you would have to think there will be plenty that will make under half what they did a year ago,” Mr Flagg said.