There was a bumper entry of just under 1,000 sheep in Dowra Mart at the weekly sheep sale.
Demand for all categories of sheep on offer was high and it led to an impressive clearance rate of 100%.
With a slightly larger entry of heavy hoggets than previous weeks, the demand was also up, leading to a price increase of €5 to €10 per head on the previous week’s prices.
In the store hogget section, the entry was down slightly on the previous week, but prices remained on par with the rising sheep prices.
The hogget entry was topped by a pen of six exceptional Milford ewe hoggets that weighed 59kg and they sold for €231 each, achieving an average price per kg of €3.92.
Heavy hoggets
The large number of heavy hoggets weighing over 50kg were highly sought after by factory agents and feedlot buyers. These hoggets sold for €200 to €231 per head on the day.
There were few hoggets weighing between 40kg and 45kg in the sales yard, but the few lots on offer were picked up by feedlot buyers, paying from €150 to €160 per head for these hoggets.
Most of the store hoggets on offer weighed from 30kg to 35kg.
These slightly lighter hoggets had mixed flesh coverings, with many hill-type lambs in the section. They ranged in price from €100 to €137 per head.
Small entry
The ewe and lamb entry was small, but demand from grass buyers was high.
The ewe and lamb consignment was topped by a pen of aged Suffolk ewes with strong twin lambs at foot that sold for €300 per team.
With the majority of farms in the area being mid- and late-season lambers, there will be a larger entry of ewe and lambs in Dowra Mart in the next month.
The number of cull ewes on offer was also down slightly on the previous week, but, unlike the entry number, prices were up.
It was a pen of strong Texel ewes weighing 80kg that topped the section when they sold for €225 each (€2.81/kg).
The cull ewe entry ranged in price from €225 for well-fleshed continental ewes back to €90 for lighter hill ewes.
Mart manager Terry McGovern commented: “It’s an extremely positive time for farmers with the price and the demand for sheep and cattle on the rise every week.”
