A total of 250 sheep and goats were on the auction block at the Mar. 15 sheep and goat sale at Winnipeg Livestock Auction.
Many of the buyers appeared motivated by the upcoming Easter holiday and anticipated demand, making for some early purchases. The presence of worms in some groups of lambs — earlier than usual — did affect some of the bidding.
Sheep
Quality ewes received the highest bidding. This reaction was not based upon weight or age, but rather future breeding purposes. The average price ranged from $0.87 to $1.07 per pound. Ewes that drew the top interest had prices ranging from $1.13 to $1.33 per pound.
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A 150-pound Rideau-cross ram brought $184.50 or $1.23 per pound.
Heavyweight lambs created their own demand from some of the new buyers. Some of these lambs were required for immediate use. The price ranged from $1.64 to $1.87 per pound.
Market lambs were represented by 15 104-pound lambs, which brought $213.20 or $2.05 per pound.
The demand and interest for feeder lambs was much higher, creating higher bidding. The prices ranged from $2.12 to $2.34 per pound. Presentation appeared to show increase in price bidding — when a sheared 95-pound Suffolk-cross lamb entered the arena, this lamb brought $2.26 per pound.
The bidding power for the lightweight lambs did not decline among the buyers. The average price was $2.32 per pound for the 70-plus-pound lambs. An exception was a group of 10 70-pound Dorset-cross lambs bringing $2.01 per pound.
A group of six 67-pound lambs brought $2.23 per pound. The following group of 10 66-pound lambs brought $2.06 per pound. A little management practised before the sale, in particular treatment for worms, and they might have brought similar prices.
The 50-plus-pound lambs started to show that the buyers were losing interest with the smaller lambs. The price ranged from $2.04 to $2.18 per pound. However, two 55-pound Cheviot-cross lambs brought $2.32-1/2 per pound.
A number of individual 45-pound lambs were sold separately at this sale. One lamb brought $1.70 per pound and the other brought $2.025 per pound. Once again, worms were an issue.
This sale also saw the appearance of the first new-crop lambs of the year. Three 92-pound Suffolk-cross brought $221.72 or $2.41 per pound. The condition of these lambs brought the strong bidding from the buyers.
Goats
A 115-pound Boer-cross doe with a sleek coat caught the attention of producers looking for animals for future breeding purposes.
Groups of Boer-cross and Alpine-cross goat does showed quality, but with a smaller structure.
Boer-cross bucks were the main type of animal in the goat buck class, seeing constant bidding from buyers and prices ranging from $1.78 to $2.07 a pound.
There were more under-80-pound goat kids at this sale than past outings. Buyer interest appeared to not be dependent on weight, with strong bidding throughout, and prices ranging from $1.84 to $2.44 a pound.
The Ontario Stockyard Report indicated a trend for purchasing the lightweight lambs. Between the bidding and the higher prices there was a clear increase in interest on these lambs.
