Rain sparks demand for Sheep at Bendigo

Yarding - 12,780

Sheep were the market mover following the rain, sales of light ewes the talking point of today’s market as they sold to much dearer levels than recent weeks. Lamb supply was cut back to 8120 head or 5000 less than last Monday. It was a fairly scrappy offering with a lot of plainer woolly type lambs and not as many well fed heavy lambs on offer. Lamb prices were stronger than the dull sale here at Bendigo a week ago, but the market still didn’t show a lot of energy or momentum. There was limited sales above 700c/kg for neat lambs in short-skins, but the general run of trade and heavy lambs were estimated as costing processors from 650c to 680c/kg cwt.  

There was less weight and style in the heavy export lambs and they sold from $205 to a top of $230 at a ballpark cost of 680c/kg cwt. Heavy lambs 26-30kg from $166 to $214, the price spread showing how buyers remained selective around breed type, condition and quality. Most of the better presented trade lambs from $130 to $162/head.  Trade weight Merino lambs sold to $151. Quality in the light lambs was very mixed with the better style processing types generally from $70 to $130/head. There wasn’t many good store lambs to suit restockers.  

Don't miss a thing. Join The Farmers Club.

Competition intensified for sheep, particularly for light mutton below 24kg cwt. A pen of extra heavy meat ewes topped at $145, with most sales of heavy ewes and wethers from $90 to $125/head. Bidding pushed-up underneath this for light and lean trade sheep which made from $60 to $108 for pens offering some skin return. The price range for sheep was 320c to just over 400c/kg cwt, with most categories averaging between 330c and 380c/kg cwt.

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