Sheep numbers were well down on expected levels but a feature was 400 breeding ewes. The top lines of 2-tooths sold to $180-$181, while 62 mixed age reached $160. All other lines traded at $115-$133.
Store lambs made up the lion's share of the sale, yet could easily have been sold twice over. Quality was very good and coupled with strong demand most ranged from $80-$84, with a small third cut at $71-$77. One small line of exceptional ewe lambs reached $115.
Prime numbers were low, especially in the lamb pens where the bulk of the 370 head sold for $120-$157 on a firm market.
Extra demand from grazers for ewes, coupled with solid schedule prices meant heavy ewes traded up to $142-$165, and second cuts, $111-$136, with few dropping below $100.
Forward store steers in the prime pens were again hitting the $3.00/kg mark or were not far off, with 515-523kg at $2.96-$3.00/kg, while finished lines made $2.80-$2.85/kg.
A good yarding of beef heifers, 523-574kg, realised $2.73-$2.83/kg and Dairy-cross, 465-517kg, $2.70-$2.77/kg.
The best of bulls made $2.73-$2.81/kg, with these prices reserved for the better lines in the 505-730kg weight band, while five Hereford bulls, 580kg, topped the section at $2.86/kg.
A nice line up of Angus cows sold for $2.06-$2.12/kg, while 499-570kg lines returned $1.80-$1.96/kg.
A bigger than usual volume of store cattle came out though most of the numbers were in the weaner pens so the sale did not appear overly big.
A good gallery of buyers gathered and prices reflected the solid demand. The main feature in the 1-year pens was a consignment of 155 15-month, mixed breed steers and heifers. From this consignment, 17 Angus steers, 381kg, sold for $3.16/kg, though they were bettered by their similar weighted Angus-Hereford paddock mates at $3.21/kg. Charolais, 407kg, also sold right up there at $3.17/kg. The Hereford-Friesian lines, 324-368kg, made $2.75-$2.85/kg.
Similar breeds featured in the heifer pens and also sold very well. Hereford-cross from the same camp made up a big chunk of the section and two lighter end lines, 289-326kg, managed $3.10-$3.20/kg, with most other lines at $2.78-$2.96/kg.
Weaner prices did show some improvement on the end of last year though Friesian bull buyers could not be budged off the $420-$430 marker, with these prices covering a 102-113kg weight band. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 104-111kg, returned $400-$440.
