Dowra Mart held its general sheep sale last Friday, with over 80 lots being sold.

The warm weather wasn't the only heat in Dowra on Friday, with heat in the trade for ewe lambs as well.

There remains a strong demand for sheep from farmers both online and at the mart which contributed to a 100% clearance rate.

Trade remained steady at Friday’s sale, with good prices reflecting the high-quality sheep on offer, as farmers sought both stronger-type ewe lambs suitable to run with the ram this year, along with lighter lambs showing potential to grow into nice-quality hoggets.

Hogget prices

Hoggets from 50kg to 60kg were met with strong demand, fetching prices between €164 and €176, with an average price of €3.10/kg being paid for each lot.

A large batch of 50 hoggets weighing 57.5kg sold for €170.

A number of farmers commented that anything with flesh on its back is currently making great money.

Hoggets that weighed less at 35kg to 40kg made on average €127, with 11 hoggets weighing 43kg each selling for €137 (€3.19/kg).

Lively trade

The trade livened up at different stages, as buyers went in search of the same batches of sheep, with prices being heavily influenced by the quality and flesh cover of the stock on show.

A group of 53 ram lambs averaging 52kg each sold for €163.50, along with Kerry Hill-cross hoggets averaging 35kg selling between €102 and €108/head.

Fleshed ewes ranged from €138 to a top price of €179, which was paid for four ewes weighing in at 92.5kg. Lighter ewes were easier bought at prices of €123 to €132 (€2/kg to €2.30/kg).

There was also a few nice pens of ewes and lambs on offer securing good interest, such as four ewes with eight lambs at foot selling for €315 each.

One ewe with a pair of lambs made €251, while six ewes and six lambs finished bidding at €232 per pair.