The Jerilderie November Store Sale on Friday saw around 12,000 sheep go under the hammer, Merino wether lambs selling to $147 and four-year-old ewes topping at $228, with processors active.
The sale got underway with 1500 cross-bred store lambs, which topped at $143 for a pen of 416, second-cross, June/July-drop lambs, offered by the Pinnuck family, Wilani, Jerilderie.
Account, Lancoona sold 108 first cross, July 19-drop lambs for $141.
Elders Jerilderie auctioneer, Nick Gray said there was an excellent run of Merino wether lambs offered on the day, the quality better than recent sales. The lambs sold from between $88 and $147 a head.
"The tops of them sold very well, there was opportunities to buy in the middle and as often happens with wether lambs, as we went on they got dearer in the bottom end," Mr Gray said.
The Merino wethers topped at $147 with a pen of 166, May/June-drop lambs, offered by Caroline and Craig Heath, Wiraki, Jerilderie.
Mr Heath said they would usually carry their wethers through to March or April, shear them and sell them in May, out of the feedlot.
"Just with the season and grain prices, we decided to sell them early," Mr Heath said.
The Simpson family of Nowranie Pastoral Company, Oaklands sold close to 1000 Merino wether lambs in the sale, the top pen of 146 June/July-drop lambs went for $144 a head.
Account, Ivyholme's top pen of 254 May/June-drop wethers sold for $133 and Donald Bull, Irroy, Conargo sold a pen of 159 June/July-drop lambs for $128.
The young Merino ewes sold to $192 a head, for a pen of 173, June/July 2018-drop ewes from George Simpson, Yooroobla, Jerilderie.
Mr Simpson's second pen, 130 ewes of the same drop, sold for $186 a head.
Mr Gray said there was a great line up of mature sheep.
"The processors were very strong on the older sheep, either losing bidder or buying quite a number," Mr Gray said.
"They got up to $228 for a pen of four-year-old ewes with a big skin, then it came down to $130-$140 at the bottom end, processors underpinning that job."
The sale was topped at $228 by 389, 2015-drop Merino ewes, offered by the Pinnuck family, Wilani, Jerilderie and bought by Fletchers.
The Pinnuck's sold 1400 sheep in the sale and Bernard Pinnuck said they should now have enough feed for their remaining sheep to get through the summer.
"We've got a long summer in front of us, they're on dryland pasture at the moment but we started harvest today so they'll be some stubble for them to go on shortly," Mr Pinnuck said.
The Stonnill family of Cocketgedong, Urana offered 1500, 2014-drop, March-shorn ewes, with the top pen of 620 making $186 a head.
The sale was conducted by Elders Jerilderie.
- Full report in next week's edition of The Land