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Yelta ewes $30.50 in strong sale - April 1999

John Hughes, Kars Pastoral Co, and Tom Kennedy, Wesfarmers Dalgety, Broken Hill, were thrilled with the sale-top price of $30.50 for Mr Hughes 1994-1996 drop ewes mated to Wiltshire and Wiltipoll rams. According to Mr Hughes "it was a reluctant but pleasing sale - its the driest Kars has been since 1945".

Wesfarmers Dalgety and Elders yarded just more than 21,000 sheep and lambs - 6000 more than advertised. The highlight of the show was the extensive demand for ewes that were either mated or unmated.

John Hughes, Kars Pastoral Co, yarded 615 May/June 1994-1996 drop ewes, October shorn and mated to Wiltshire Horn and Wiltipoll rams. Despite the toughest season experienced at Kars since the 1945 drought, the ewes were in good forward store condition.

The bidding started at a low $20 but it wasn't long before the bidding hotted up to reach the winning bid of $30.50.

Regular supporter of the Yelta sale Peter Brooks was the successful buyer on behalf of Elders, Wentworth, via phone hook-up directly from the client in Adelaide.

The majority of the yarding was pressured into the sale because of dry conditions experienced in the northern pastoral and western New South Wales division areas, with most lines only in store condition.

But the condition of the stock did not deter the spirited bidding from the large crowd and agents and vendors were pleased with the results of the day.

Marty Deacon, Elders, Mildura, said lines of wethers were fully firm on recent sales, with ewes popular and selling at prices $4-$5 a head more than recent sales which was pleasing for all vendors.

The wether portion of the yarding were well-bred sheep that, with a bit of green feed, would go on to be shipping sheep.

Elders, Swan Hill, was the first agent to step in and seize the opportunity to buy wethers to put away.

J & DH O'Conner from the Packsaddle district, yarded 715 June/July 1997-drop wethers, March shorn, Mount Cone Blood and the 711 "brothers" in the next pen were off to Swan Hill for $17 and $17.25 respectively.

The 748 April/May 1997 drop wethers penned on behalf of Wonnaminta Station and of Kelvale blood reached $15.25, knocked down to Elders, Birchip.

J C Johnston put together 406, 3 and 4-year-old wethers in good forward store condition and these sold to Cedar Meats Ararat.

Many lines, however, were not suited to the trade with wether lambs needing a bit of TLC receiving good support from the buyers.

Wonnaminta's April/May 1998 drop wether lambs, recently shorn, managed a start of just $10, but buyers warmed to their potential and they were finally knocked down for $17.25 to Elders, Swan Hill.

When agents started on the ewe section of the yarding, the bidding really picked up tempo.

Restockers from areas that recorded useful rains realised that opportunities were becoming limited to buy big lines of quality ewes.

Robert Dowling, Yantabangee, dispersed the bulk of the stations sheep because of lack of feed and the 2 and 3yo ewes, in lamb to Greenfields rams made $19.25, off to Cedar Meats.

By Wayne Hall