It was a case of differing expectations May 3 at the Winnipeg Livestock Auction, as buyers and sellers gathered to trade the 233 sheep and goats delivered to this sale.
Sellers were hoping for decent prices, while buyers were looking for bargains.
In the sheep sale, ewes were of mixed quality and the bidding highlighted the differences. There appeared to be no price differences between wool and hair ewes. Two groups of Suffolk-cross ewes were sheared, giving indication of uniformity and structure. The price ranged from $1.30 to $1.45 per pound for these animals. Other prices ranged from $1.01 to $1.08 per pound and another ranged from $1.15 to $1.25 per pound. More mature ewes were not present in the various weight ranges.
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One 210-pound Suffolk-cross ram represented this classification, and brought $216.30 or $1.03 per pound.
The heavyweight lamb class was represented by a 170-pound Dorper-cross lamb which brought $1.20 per pound. Another 170-pound Dorper-cross lamb brought $1.08 per pound.
There was still a demand for market lambs for immediate use. The price ranged from $2.06 to $2.30 per pound, for weight ranging from 98 to 102 pounds. An exception was four 95-pound Cheviot-cross lambs which brought $1.51 per pound.
A 90-pound Dorper-cross lamb represented the feeder lamb class, bringing $2.40 per pound.
The 70-plus-pound lambs continued the trend, ranging from $2.30 to $2.41 per pound. An exception was a 75-pound Rideau-cross lamb that brought $1.25 per pound.
The 60-plus-pound lambs created a buyer’s choice, with plenty of selection. Prices ranged from $1.80 to $1.94 per pound. A 60-pound Rideau-cross lamb brought $2.125 per pound. The 63- and 64-pound lambs ranged in price from $2.56 to $2.59 a pound.
New-crop lambs were uniform in structure in each group. Buyers were interested in the selection on offer, and many seemed to be heading back into buyers’ herds for building purposes.
The quality of the goat does was reflected in the buyers’ less-than-enthusiastic bidding. Some of these goat does did not show their distinctive characteristics.
One Boer-cross goat buck was slightly lean having the animal at a better weight that could have created stronger bidding. As it stood in the ring, the animal did not draw attention or strong demand.
Five 80-pound Boer-cross goat wethers brought $2.13 per pound. These wethers showed uniform body structure and sheen coats.
Seven 86-pound Boer-cross goat wethers brought $2.08 per pound. Once again these wethers were of noticeable quality which was reflected in bidding.
No under-80-pound goat kids were delivered to this sale.
The Ontario Stockyard Report showed sheep and lambs suffered major price cuts. The bidding was much lower than in the past few sales. The bidding on the new-crop lambs was lower, creating low prices for quality lambs. The goats remained at a fairly constant price and more were delivered than the last sale.
