Buyers paid for quality at Bendigo

Yarding - 17,530

Similar sized yarding of 9380 lambs but quality continues to be a challenge for buyers, particularly in the old season lambs as the last of the winter clean-up lots are sold. Prices did perform around condition and presentation with the best new season and shorn lambs firm to dearer in places, but secondary trade and heavy pens were often cheaper. All the regular buyers attended but some were not fully engaged. What did sell well today was decent lines of light MK processing lambs which were consistently dearer.

New season lambs topped the market at $280/head for an extra heavy pen estimated above 30kg cwt. The next best price was $260/head. Most of the lead pens of young lambs were in the 24-28kg cwt range and sold from $200 to $248 - this put them in the realm of 860c to 890c/kg cwt based on slightly improved skin returns of $3 to $4. But drop weight and finish and the price was $150 to $185/head for the general run of young trade lambs at 780c to 850c/kg cwt. Included in this was a lot of new season Dorpers at $153 to $198/head. Lightweight young lambs mostly $80 to $128 for crossbreds, down to $47 for Merinos and $39 for immature Dorpers.

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Less weight was evident in the old season lambs, the limited lines of export grades from $227 to a top of $272/head. The best of the heavy trade lambs $180 to $220/head, followed by the general run of trades at $155 to $180/head. It was a two speed market with the best conditioned and presented old lambs from 800c to 860c/kg while the wintery clean-up lots were mostly in the 720c to 780c/kg cwt price bracket. A segment of the market which was consistently dearer was good light MK lambs under 18kg cwt at $115 to $145/head for the decent lambs, odd lots $50 to $100/head.

The sheep sale showed a lot of price variance across a bigger offering of 8150 head. Early sales were subdued while the market gained momentum late in the auction. Heavy ewes were up to $10 off, while leaner trades were sometimes dearer which compressed a lot of ewes into the dollar space of $70 to $110 per head regardless of size. Some big crossbred ewes topped at $137 and crossbred wethers to $142/head. Good lines of mutton were estimated as costing from 350c to 420c/kg cwt. Noting buyers were reluctant to purchase very light conditioned ewes at times.

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