Most valuable Bendigo market ever recorded - Read how

Yarding - 37,010

There was a significant increase in numbers following a period of warm, dry weather, with 21,260 lambs and nearly 16,000 sheep recorded, bringing the overall yarding up by more than 15,000 head. With no sales in New South Wales due to a public holiday, the focus shifted to Bendigo, where all major processors were present. The market demonstrated resilience despite the increased numbers, with the best-quality lambs and mutton selling at similar or higher prices.

The heaviest new season lambs reached a peak of $397 per head, while shorn lambs sold for up to $376, unshorn Merino lambs for $260, and heavy ewes for $300 per head. According to the Bendigo saleyard manager, this sale was the most valuable one-day prime lamb and sheep market the center has recorded, grossing over $8 million. The average price for lambs sold was $231 per head, while sheep averaged $221 per head, with some still left to be sold at the time of this report. For comparison, the largest market last year at Bendigo occurred on November 11, when 38,200 sheep and lambs grossed just under $5 million. The estimated price for the best young trade and heavy lambs ranged from 1120 cents to 1180 cents per kilogram carcass weight (cwt), with some supermarket-style pens exceeding $12 per kilogram cwt, although these were in limited numbers. A few pens of export-weight young lambs sold for between $358 and the top price of $397 per head.

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The main group of heavy young lambs, weighing 26-30 kg cwt, sold for $306 to $364 per head at an estimated cost of 1170 cents per kilogram, based on skin returns of $5 and $6 per pelt. For lambs weighing under 24 kg cwt, buyers were able to be more selective regarding quality and finish, resulting in a wider price range of approximately 1020 cents to 1140 cents per kilogram that covered most of the market. The main run of young lambs weighing 22-24 kg cwt sold for between $225 and $281 per head, with an average estimated price of 1060 cents per kilogram cwt. Specialist export lamb finishers from Ballarat paid between $240 and $276 per head for trade-sized lambs ready to shear. Smaller store lambs sold for between $135 and $220 per head, with estimated carcass prices softening slightly. In the Merino section, the lead pens of fresh young types sold for between $220 and $260 per head at carcass rates similar to the market values.

Processor competition for mutton remained very strong despite the increased supply. The main runs of heavier sheep averaged higher while remaining within recent price bands of 770 cents to 860 cents per kilogram cwt, although some pens were estimated above 900 cents per kilogram cwt at times. Lighter and leaner sheep generally remained firm in a fluctuating market. Price ranges were as follows: heaviest ewes sold for $240 to $300 per head; good trade sheep for $170 to $240 per head; and decent light sheep for about $130 to $165 per head.

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