David Curtain, Muskerry, Jerilderie topped the sale, selling his 205 SIL Border Leicester Merino cross ewes, May/March 2019-drop, July shorn for $424.

Deniliquin first cross ewes to $424

Deniliquin sheep sale offers up opportunity for buyers.

The Deniliquin sheep store sale started with a bang on Friday, with first cross ewes scanned in lamb making $424.

However, prices then ebbed and overall the market didn't reach the heights some vendors and buyers had expected despite some stand-out individual sales.

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Most first cross ewes made from $220 to $322, while Merinos SIL made from $232 (for six-year-olds) to $358 and Merino ewes unjoined attracted from $180 for older pens to $326 (for one-year-olds).

Elders Deniliquin livestock manager Jason Andrews said some of the first cross and Merino ewes sold a little under what had been expected.

"It started off like a firecracker, but they were exceptionally good sheep, and it (the market) got a little soggy in some of the first cross ewes," Mr Andrews said.

"But, I think you have to understand that we would be selling third and fourth drafts out of a lot of those ewes."

The top-price of the sale, $424 was achieved by David Curtain, Muskerry, Jerilderie who sold 205 SIL Border Leicester Merino cross ewes, May/March 2019-drop, July shorn, joined with Wunnamurra PD rams. It was an AuctionsPlus buyer who nabbed the pen.

Mr Andrews said the White Suffolk cross ewes sold very well, making a top price of $276 for a pen of July 2020-drop ewe lambs, December shorn with Wattle Park blood and West Burrabogie bred from Steve and Emma Morona, Deniliquin. The Moronas sold close to 850 ewes in total.

Tom Carroll of Mullingar, Deniliquin topped the Merino section of the sale, his pen of 141 SIL ewes with Ronnern blood, June/July 2019-drop, July shorn making $358.

Merino wether lambs also attracted a lot of attention, with most selling from $120 to $175 for a pen of 38 trade lambs, 56kg, from Bunembert Station.

"The wether lambs were enormous given the latest price rise in the lamb market, you could really see that effect," Mr Andrews said.

"They're hard to find because a lot of guys had a very good season and sold them in the spring as suckers, so a lot of these are a later-drop or third and fourth drafts, and they were making very good money."

Mr Andrews said there were a lot of Western Australian sheep in the yarding, with only around 50 per cent of the sale vendor-bred Riverina sheep.

Buyers came from all over, including Braidwood in the Southern Tablelands and Dubbo in the Central West.

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