Farm Tender

Bendigo numbers drop away as producers react to the cheaper prices on offer

Lamb numbers dropped away again as producers react to the cheaper rates on offer. It was a scrappy winter's yarding, with just a few good lines of lambs available amid plainer types. The buying ranks remain affected by Covid-19 abattoir closures in Victoria and winter slowdowns at others, and at least five companies weren't operating. A positive was the return of a supermarket buyer, and the few ideally weighted domestic lambs in short skins were dearer. But the rest of the yarding, including export lambs, were only similar to even cheaper than a week ago. Agents did pass-in one lead run of extra heavy lambs off grain.

Heavy export lambs over 30kg cwt from $180 to a top of $200/head once. Most medium and heavy trade lambs fluctuated from $155 to$180/head. Small pen lots of mixed lambs were heavily discounted at times. A few pens of new season young lambs sold to $181/head and were among the stronger sales at 700c to 770c/kg cwt for neat trades. But the bulk of the yarding to processors tracked under 680c, with the heaviest exports lambs below 600c/kg cwt. Trade weight Merino lambs with good cover from $158 to $166/head to be trending around 600c/kg cwt.

The sheep market also fluctuated around quality and weight. Extra heavy crossbred ewes sold at cheaper rates from $156 to $188/head.Merino wethers offered processors the biggest runs of better quality, and sold from $155 to $190/head for an average of around 580c/kg cwt. Merino ewes with weight and condition made from $145 to $195/head.

https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/Services/Bendigo-Livestock-Exchange