With 5765 first-cross ewes and ewe lambs on offer at SELX Yass for the opening sale of the year, Elders Goulburn auctioneer Ben Seaman described the yarding as "outstanding considering the season".
"All the joinable ewes sold very well, up to $30 above expectations," he said.
"The lighter sheep also met strong competition selling for $20 to $30 better than we thought."
The top priced pen at $328 was achieved for the 68 September/October-drop and October-shorn ewes offered by John O'Brien, Crookwell, and bought by Peter Southwell, Bookham.
Mr O'Brien sold a second line of 100 ewes for $318.
Other good prices included $268 for the pen of 100 October-shorn ewes sold by Glen Erin Partnership, which had been the best presented one-and-half-year pen; K.J. and J.L. Hewitt sold 62 October/November-drop ewes for $252 and Tulmerallen Pty Ltd sold 90 one and half year ewes, December-shorn and reared a lamb for $274.
Best presented pen of ewe lambs were the 180 March/April 2019-drop October-shorn ewes offered by the Kember family, Gleneith, Ganmain.
Sired by Gleneith Super Borders and weighing 59 kilograms, they were bought by Blayney interests for $280.
Other ewe lamb sales included $186 for 100 November-shorn ewes, sired by Talkook Border Leicester rams and sold by Mt Pleasant Pastoral Company, while R.M. and N.A. Anderson sold 81 September 2019-drop ewes for $130 and P. Mahoney received $192 for his pen 52 June 2019-drop and December-shorn ewes.
Unshorn lambs sold for $160 when B.D. and B.D. Croker sold 30 July/August 2019-drop and $138 for the pen of 39 June/July 2019-drop offered by B.F. and S.M. Knight.
Older ewes sold to $184, including 58 four-year-old Talkook-blood and November-shorn offered by Mt Pleasant Pastoral Co, while Warili Pastoral Co sold 89 three-and-half-year-old ewes, December-shorn, for $216.
Local buyers dominated.
