Border Leicester Merino-cross young ewes, aged 1-1.5 years, made to a Ballarat saleyard-high of $362 a head at its annual January crossbred ewe sale on Thursday.
Sold in a quality penning of some 30,000, the market toppers were a yard of 219 offered by Colin, Jacquie and Kim Smith "Kinross" Carranballac while at a price of only two dollars less sold the Smith's first draft pen of 190 made $360, six pens earlier.
A total of at least 15 lots in all were sold at prices above $300/head, which were prices deemed to be $20 a head higher than Ballarat’s December sale where sales topped $329 a head.
Secondary and plainer drafts, which were sold at firm to easier values, made $200-$290 a head while yards of 2.5 to 5.5 year-old breeding ewes made $130- $182.
An outstanding presentation of 2017-drop ewe lambs, which offered after the aged ewe lines, made to a top of $326 a head while other pens - also suitable for an autumn joining - made $240-$310 a head.
The demand for restocker/backgrounding ewe lambs, which drew broad interest from near and far, saw buying opportunities unfold. Most of these (shorn) were sold in a $150-$220 per head price range while those offered unshorn made $70-$148 ahead.
Full details in Stock & Land, January 11 edition, next week.