FIRST cross ewe prices may have peaked at a healthy $138 at Corowa today, but a lack of buyers forced agents to pass in many lambs and older ewes.
The feature Corowa spring sale attracted a yarding of 13,000, mostly Border Leicester Merino cross ewes and lambs.
But while the yarding was up and buyers were hard to find for the first cross ewe lambs, the sale was strong for most of the 2007-drop ewes.
Matthew and Terry Drum’s 200 large framed forward condition June/July 2007-drop ewes from Balldale opened the sale with reluctant bidding reaching $126.
Prices then rose for subsequent pens despite the tapering off in size and coinditions.
The top price of $138 was paid eight pens later by Don Lindsay of Myrrhee for 180 August/September 2007-drop ewes sold on account of Oakleigh Pastoral, Hopefield.
Mr Lindsay’s agent Peter Burton said in hindsight the first pen at $126 were the best buys.
More than 1800 2007-drop ewes sold for more than $120.
Initially local buyers had to compete with strong outside bidding from Terry Johnson of SEJ, Leongatha, Craig Pertzel of Kerr & Co, Hamilton and Leo White of TB White, Ballarat.
These buyers accounted for nearly 2000, and once their orders were filled the sale struggled.
One vendor to feel the drop in demand was Jack Ferguson from Rennie, whose family targets annually this Corowa sale with between 800-900 March/April-drop lambs.
Their lambs this year were no exception despite the difficult season.
Jack Ferguson was very disappointed particularly as the ‘brothers’ of these ewe lambs sold four months ago to a top of $100 and average of $70.
He had been hoping for at least $100 for his ewes.
Among the older first cross ewes Hylands Pastoral sold 198 2006-drop ewes for $105, while the best of the 4&5-year-olds sold to $56.
The feature offering of the Corowa sale were the dispersal of 1500 first cross, Merino and Dorper ewes on account of Oakleigh Pastoral.
While the Oakleigh 2007-drop ewes topped the sale at $138, Corcoran Parker auctioneer Clinton Rixon struggled in finding bids for the rest of the offering passing in Oakleigh’s 472 Mungadal blood 2007-drop September shorn Merino ewes at $60.
He also passed in more than 300 first cross aged ewes and lambs at a vendor bid of $80.
But in a sign of the times there was strong interest for Oakleigh’s 100 White Dorper ewes.
These ewes which were described as 'full shedders' of their fleeces sold in small lots of 25 head to a top of $230 and the 56 ewes lambs selling to a top of $170.
