Despite continuing dry conditions numbers were reduced at the Narromine Store Sheep Sale last Wednesday.
First-cross ewes made up a large percentage of the 21,000 yarding with the spring Narromine First- Cross Breeders Association sale included.
There were some outstanding crossbred ewes penned along with large numbers of very well-bred and well-presented young Merino ewes. There was a reasonable selection of mixed age and older Merino ewes, mostly presenting in top order.
There were no wethers penned. Competition was strong throughout from a good crowd of buyers. Buyers attended from Trangie, Gilgandra, Coonamble, Nyngan, Boggabri, Forbes, Cowra, Mudgee, Parkes, Warrigal, Crookwell, Goulburn, Cootamundra, Inverell and Woodstock, and there was fair support from local operators.
First-cross ewes sold well despite the dry conditions and the present state of the prime lamb market. The best were three lines of August 2006 drops from Spicers Run Pty Ltd. They sold from $96.50 to $101/head.
The best of the autumn 2007 drop ewes, from ME Montgomery, sold for $94/head.
The balance of the top-quality 2007 drop ewes sold from $70 to $91.50/head. The remainder of the better-quality 2006 drop crossbred ewes sold from $60 to $92/head. Young ewes lacking size sold down to $40/head.
A line of two- and three-year-old crossbred ewes, January shorn and NSM, sold for $71/head.
The four-year-olds from the same consignment achieved $54/head. Joined up 41/2 year olds sold for $51 and $56/head. Store lambs ranged in price from $29 to $47.50/head.
Young Merino ewes also sold to solid support. The best were a line of August-September 2006 drops, February shorn. They sold for $69/head.
The balance of the good-quality one- and 11/2-year-old Merino ewes sold from $50 to $65.50/head. Plainer types sold down to $26/head.
A pen of mixed age, May shorn ewes which had been depastured to Poll Dorset rams for a November lambing sold for $57/head. The balance of the mixed-aged and older Merino ewes which were all unjoined sold from $26 to $51/head.
A line of 51/2-year-old Merino ewes with 70 per cent of White Suffolk lambs at foot sold for $28.00/head.
Two pens of young Merino mixed sex lambs, unshorn, sold for $23.50 and $36/head.