YESTERDAY'S sheep sale at Wycheproof proved a big yarding and a big crowd weren't always necessary to have a good sale.
First-cross ewes sold to $232 and Merino ewes to $197 during the sale of about 7000 head, 5000 fewer than advertised for the original sale on December 3, which was postponed because of rain.Landmark St Arnaud agent Damien Drum said it was a solid sale.
MP Jolly Birchip agent Pat O'Reilly agreed it was a good result, with the top pen selling for about $10 more than expected.
Mr O'Reilly said the rain and locusts had caused damage to a lot of feed, forcing some vendors to sell stock.
''Some of the sheep had five or six inches of rain on them in the last week to 10 days,'' he said.
''It was a very small crowd, but we achieved expectations, so that proves you don't have to have a big crowd to have a good sale, I suppose."
A client of TB White and Sons Ballarat paid $232 for 253 1 ½- year old first-cross ewes from J Doak, of Donald.
A client of Rodwells Boort paid $196 for 116 1 ½-year old Lewisdale blood, September shorn, Merino ewes from J Randall, of Kinnabulla.
Rodwells agent Sarah Johnston said Lojanco Pty Ltd, of Kerang, sold a pen of 39 November shorn 4 ½-year old first-cross ewes with 52 four-week-old Poll Dorset-cross lambs to a Donald buyer for $202.
Other sales of note were 211 April-May 2010-drop October shorn first-cross ewe lambs to a Kilmore buyer for $190 and 170 F1 SAMM-Merino cross three and four-year-old ewes October shorn which made $173 for G&C Rathjen.
A client of Landmark Bendigo paid $152 for 280 July-August 2009-drop Mungadal blood, October shorn, unjoined Merino ewes from J&J Crowe, and Brian Simmonds Livestock, of Horsham, paid $142 for 148 May-June 2008-drop, Glendemar blood, October shorn, unjoined Merino ewes from N&K Supple.
