New Season Lambs make $396 at Bendigo

Yarding - 17,525

Lamb supply has decreased to 10,075 head, consisting of approximately 3,000 new season lambs and the remainder being old season lambs. The offering featured two categories of old lambs: those that were good off grain and ordinary clean-up lots. The plainer types with rough skins outnumbered the better-quality lambs at this sale. As a result, the price outcomes were mixed. The best lambs sold for prices similar to the previous week, ranging around 1,100 cents per kilogram carcass weight (cwt), with the top pens reaching an estimated 1,200 cents/kg at times. In contrast, plainer lots averaged between 950 to 1,050 cents/kg.

Quality significantly influenced market results; a pen of new season lambs raised on irrigation and weighing between 32-34 kg cwt topped the market at $396, making them the most expensive young lambs sold at Bendigo so far. There was a noticeable downward trend in prices for secondary light lambs under 20 kg cwt destined for processors, particularly light Merino lambs that lacked fat cover and weight. However, lightweight young store lambs in large lines continued to sell strongly to restockers, with prices remaining over an estimated 1,000 cents/kg in carcass weight terms. Among the young lambs, one pen of export-weight lambs sold for $396 per head, with the second draft of this line, also off irrigation, fetching $350 per head. Following this, the leading pens largely consisted of heavy trade lambs priced between $270 to $330 per head, while the main grades averaged over 1,100 cents/kg to processors based on a $4 skin. Restockers paid between $180 to $240 per head for young light trade lambs, while more genuine-sized small store lambs sold from $128 to $180 per head. It is worth noting that this sale did not have the large one-mark lines of small store lambs from the north.

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The old season lambs reached a maximum price of $324 per head, with most export-weight pens having only a few head per draft, which affected the overall results. The main run of heavy lambs weighing 26-30 kg cwt sold for $272 to $324 per head, maintaining averages above 1,100 cents/kg cwt. Mixed trades and heavier lambs in odd lots with untidy skins were priced from $220 to $265 per head, with these lambs generally averaging cheaper. Fed Merino trade lambs with fat cover and reasonable skins ranged from $220 to $255 per head, achieving over 1,000 cents/kg. In contrast, plainer Merino lambs lacking fat cover and weight were receiving lower prices, ranging from $163 to $224 per head for those with frame and $137 to $160 per head for smaller types meant for processors. The smallest and plainest Merino lambs sold for between $20 to $120 per head. Old season light lambs in the crossbred and Dorper categories were also cheaper, primarily due to poor quality as tail-end winter drafts were cleared out.

Sheep supply remained consistent at 7,450 head. Mutton prices averaged lower, although there wasn't much change in pricing for the main runs of quality heavy sheep with good fat cover. The best processing sheep averaged either side of 700 cents/kg cwt, reaching up to about 760 cents/kg cwt. Most leaner trade and lighter sheep sold between 630 to 700 cents/kg cwt. In dollar terms, large crossbred ewes ranged from $200 to a top of $274 per head, while Merino ewes with skin returns were priced from $190 to $280 per head. The general run of leaner trade sheep sold from $140 to $200 per head, and light sheep ranged from $60 to $140 per head.

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