In the quiet rhythm of a South Australian saleyard, a line of young ewes changed hands for $650 a head, a sum no one in the family's fifty years of selling had imagined. It is a small moment within a larger cycle that every farming people knows well: drought thins the flock, scarcity lifts the price, and those who stayed through the lean years are finally met by the return they waited for. Whether this high water mark endures or proves to be a swell that recedes depends on how long it takes the land and its herds to recover.
Sheep Prices Hit Record Highs at Saleyards Nationwide as Flock Shortage Bites
No-one ever thought we'd be at $650, or even in the 500s.
Mark
A $650 ewe at Naracoorte. Why is this more than a good day for one family?
Mimi
Because it's one of a run of records. Corowa's $641 was only last month, Edenhope set a Victorian record of $625 the same day, and Bendigo lambs hit $595 a week earlier.
Mark
What's pushing it?
Mimi
A good season in many areas, strong demand, and a flock that's short after drought-driven sell-offs added to a long decline.
Luke
Worth saying those records are for breeding ewes and lambs. The slaughter market is separate, though the article says it's strong too: lambs to $500, sheep over $400.
Mark
Trevor James sounds cautious despite the number.
Mimi
He remembers 2023, when some sheep were nearly worthless. He says the family needs the return after high feed and general costs.
Luke
His view that numbers will take a while to rebuild is an expectation, not a forecast with data behind it. The same goes for his hope that it isn't a bubble.
Mark
And the agents?
Mimi
Wayne Driscoll and Nigel Starick both framed it as reward for people who stayed in, and Driscoll noted others left the industry.
Luke
Agents earn commission on sales, so their cheerfulness is understandable. The report doesn't say how many producers left or how far the flock has shrunk, so we can't size that.
O Pulso
- A $650 ewe at Naracoorte shattered the national record of $641 set only weeks earlier at Corowa.
- Records are falling across breeding and slaughter stock, with lambs reaching $500 and sheep topping $400.
- Drought-driven sell-offs have left the national flock critically short, pushing demand well ahead of supply.
- Producers are rebuilding numbers slowly, while many wonder whether these peaks will hold or burst like a bubble.
In the quiet rhythm of a South Australian saleyard, a line of young ewes changed hands for $650 a head, a sum no one in the family's fifty years of selling had imagined. It is a small moment within a larger cycle that every farming people knows well: drought thins the flock, scarcity lifts the price, and those who stayed through the lean years are finally met by the return they waited for. Whether this high water mark endures or proves to be a swell that recedes depends on how long it takes the land and its herds to recover.
On Thursday at the Naracoorte saleyards in South Australia, a line of 1.5-year-old first-cross ewes sold for $650 a head, beating the previous national record of $641 set last month at Corowa. The sheep belonged to the James family of Mundulla West, who have been selling first-cross ewes for fifty years.
The record is one of many. Almost every sheep category has hit new highs in recent months. A Victorian ewe record fell the same day at Edenhope, a lamb record of $595 was set at Bendigo a week earlier, and Merino ewes reached $515 at Hay in September. Slaughter stock is also commanding strong prices, with lambs up to $500 and sheep over $400.
The drivers are an excellent season, strong demand, and a flock that is critically short after drought forced a big sell-off that deepened a long-term decline.
Trevor James called the result a thrill but did not dwell on it. Three years ago, values had fallen so sharply that some sheep were almost worthless, and the family remembers that. They need this return, and they hope it is not a bubble.
Stock agents say the reward is deserved. Wayne Driscoll of AWN said clients who stayed with sheep through hard years deserve this, and that the heartache that pushed people out of the industry should not be forgotten. Nigel Starick of Elders Bendigo said it was fantastic to see people rewarded for persistence.
The question now is how long the shortage keeps prices high, since rebuilding the flock will take time.
On Thursday at the Naracoorte saleyards in South Australia, a line of 1.5-year-old first-cross ewes sold for $650 a head. That figure beat the previous record of $641, which was set only last month at Corowa in New South Wales. The sheep belonged to the James family, who farm at Mundulla West, a short drive up the road.
The record is one of many. Sheep prices have been climbing through the year, and the ABC reports that almost every category has hit new highs in recent months. The national first-cross ewe record has been broken several times. On the same day as the Naracoorte sale, the Victorian record fell too, when ewes at Edenhope sold for $625 a head.
A week earlier, a pen of lambs at the Bendigo sale set a national first-cross lamb record of $595. In the Merino industry, a ewe record of $515 a head was set at the Hay sale in September. All of these records are for breeding animals. But demand for animals bound for slaughter is also extraordinary: lambs have sold for up to $500 and sheep have topped $400.
Several things are driving the market. Many areas have had an excellent season, demand is strong, and the flock is critically short. Drought in key livestock regions in recent years prompted a big sell-off of sheep, which deepened a long-term decline in Australian flock numbers.
Trevor James said the result was a thrill, but he did not dwell on it. This is the family's 50th year selling first-cross ewes, and he said nobody ever expected to see $650, or even prices in the $500s. He has not forgotten how recently the picture looked very different. Three years ago livestock values fell so sharply that some sheep were almost worthless. He pointed to the sharp fall in the spring of 2023, a couple of tough seasons with high feed costs, and rising costs generally. He said the family needs the return.
He expects strong demand to continue while the flock stays low, and thinks rebuilding numbers will take some time. He added that the family hopes this is not a bubble, because they hope to get a little more out of it.
Stock agents say the rewards are well earned. Wayne Driscoll, a livestock specialist with AWN, said his clients had stuck with sheep through hard years and called the prices a great reward for persistence. He said there was a lot of heartache a couple of years ago, that it pushed people out of the industry, and that this should not be forgotten.
Nigel Starick, Elders Bendigo livestock manager, said he never expected to see prices this high. He said it was fantastic to see people rewarded for sticking with something that has not always gone their way, and that commanding such values at auction is a good place to be.
What to watch is how long the flock shortage keeps prices elevated, since producers expect numbers to take some time to rebuild.
Citações Notáveis
We're hoping it's not a bubble, because we're hoping to get a little bit more out of it.— Trevor James, Mundulla West sheep farmer
It's a wonderful time — it's great reward for persistence.— Wayne Driscoll, AWN livestock specialist
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Leia o original em ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation ↗