The inaugural Hay feeder wether lamb sale exceeded expectations on Friday, the 19,000 head offered sold for a top of $176 for Merino wethers and $191 for first cross wethers.
"It was a pretty exceptional sale ... we knew it would be strong, especially after lifting in Wagga yesterday but that's probably $10 to $15 above our expectations of where we would get to today," Elders Hay branch manager, Andrew Low said.
Mr Low said they had decided to split the lambs from their main September sheep sale to improve presentation and animal health with a reduced time in the yards possible due to the smaller draft.
RELATED READING
Merino wethers sold from $132 to $176 a head - the top price was paid twice, firstly for a pen of 458 April/May 2021-drop, Alma-blood, Merino wethers, average 41 kilograms, from the Morphett family Yamba, Booligal.
The next pen also reached $176, paid for 437 April/May 2021-drop, Alma-blood, Merino wethers, 40kg, from Alma, Booligal, another of the Morphett family's properties.
Mark Flagg Livestock and Properties, Barellan bought both lots.
"Those 40 plus kilo lambs who mid-week were making $160, were making $170," Mr Low said.
"Then all categories as we stepped through followed that trend."
Most whether lambs weighing around 35kg average sold for close to $160 and 30kg lambs were making from around $146 to $150.
However, Avenal Station, Broken Hill bucked that trend, their pen of around 240 April/May 2021-drop, Old Ashrose blood, Merino whether lambs weighing 34kg selling for $170 to Elders Wagga Wagga.
"The lighter lambs were spectacular, those Avenel lambs ... that was just the sale of the century," Mr Low said.
In the first-cross lambs White Suffolk cross Merino wethers made from $165 (for 30kg lambs) to a top of $180, paid for a pen of 326 40kg, May/June 2021-drop wether lambs from Benara, Hay with Keiross blood.
Border Leicester cross Merino wethers sold from $171 to $191, paid for a pen of 398 May 2021-drop wether lambs, 44kg, Keiross and Nelleona blood from Keiross, Oxley.
There were a run of close to 1800 Dohne wether lambs on offer from Caroonboon, Wanganella and they sold from $140 to $155 a head, the top price paid for a lot of 35kg lambs.
Buyers came from across the Riverina and beyond, including Bendigo and Yarrawonga. AuctionsPlus bidders were also busy, active on most pens.
"I think the market is very strong right now and people with plenty of feed around them want to capitalise and turn those lambs out in a short period of time to meet the demand in the processing sector," Mr Low said.
Next Friday will see close to 37,000 sheep yarded at the Hay Annual September Sheep sale.
The feeder wether lamb sale was conducted by Elders, Hay and interfaced with AuctionsPlus.
- Full report in this week's edition of The Land.
Love agricultural news? Sign up for The Land's free daily newsletter