Buyers from all the major sheep districts descended on Wycheproof, Friday, bidding for scanned in lamb lines of crossbred lamb ewes and Merino ewes to highs of $330 and $278 a head respectively.
Competing for a quality offering of 6500, the successful buyers trucked sheep to the northeast, southwest, central and northwest areas of the state while some interstate travellers went home empty-handed.
A reasonable supply of wether lambs were also hotly contested, with these sold mostly for processing, from $115 to $140 a head.
The sale, which was conducted by Landmark branches at Birchip and St Arnaud and Rodwells of Boort, produced a number of highlights on the day.
Nick Byrne, Rodwells, said although not a huge crowd attended, buyers appeared keen to eye-ball the assembled yarding, given most store sheep these days are sold on the screen.
“And what they saw was excellent quality that was well bred and well presented and they sold accordingly,’’ Mr Byrne said.
Damian Drum, Landmark, said: “(the market) was very solid, perhaps as strongest as we’ve seen”.
Opening the sale a breeder’s one mark line of 600 Border Leicester Merino ewes, were keenly pursued to $330 a head to average $313.
The November-shorn line, which was meticulously prepared by John and Andrew Hemley, Hemley Pastoral of Stawell, was scanned 138 per cent in lambs following an early February joining to Poll Dorset rams.
Drafted into four even pens, these were sold to buyers at Euroa, Boort and Horsham, with about of one-third of each yard offering multiple detections.
Another volume seller was Angus Barber, Beulah East, who sold two yards of 16-drop ewe lambs also scanned at 100 per cent following a February joining to White Suffolk rams.
The April-shorn Barber ewe lambs were offered in pens of 374 and 333, and each were sold over two falls of the hammer, at $291 and $272, and $242 and $244 a head.
In the Merino ewe section FR Buttler, and Sons, Newstead, sold a Hazeldene-blood line of 3.5 & 4.5 year-old ewes with 100pc of marked White Suffolk lambs at foot for $222 a head.
The feature sale of Merino ewes however belonged to James Doak, Watchem, with a sale, at $278 a head, of 522 Oakdon-blood (SA) 2.5 year-olds. These February-shorn monsters, due to lamb in July to Border Leicester rams, offered 162pc scanning with 326 multiple detections and 196 singles.
These were all taken by Landmark Swan Hill while over the next two pens Hemley Pastoral secured from Peter Jolly, Birchip, yards of August-shorn, Ongerup-blood (WA) Merino ewes, also depastured to Border Leicester rams following a February joining.
The first of these, which were 500 scanned at 120pc made $262 while 159 that were scanned as undetectable made $239 a head.
Conducting a flock reduction clearance, the Greenaway family, Beasleys Bridge trading as Bernarro Pastoral, sold several May-shorn lines of 15-drop ewes, scanned to White Suffolk rams.
A Banavie-blood lot of 101 made $250 a head while their Haddon Rig-blood lot of 124 went for the same.
M&B Perryman, Mysia, sold March-shorn, 2-3yo Panorama-blood ewes, SIL to WS rams at $258 while 4-5yo lot of the same made $253, these selling to interests at Hamilton and Underbool.
Topping the list in Merino wether sales was ST & JJ Verley, Boort. Their May//June-drop lambs, Concordia-blood made $140 a head as April-shorn while RC & RM Fernandas sold a February-shorn line of East Loddon wether lambs, at $133.
And at a dollar less ($132) M & B Perryman sold a March-shorn Panorama-blood line while Weranda Pastoral sold at $121, a June 16-drop of Weranda blood and bred wethers, December-shorn.
Two yards of Bundy-blood wethers, May shorn completed the sale making $118 and $117.