Restockers all over the lighter Lambs at Bendigo

Yarding - 17,600

The lamb supply has risen to 12,725, an increase of more than 4,000. However, much of this increase is due to a surge of lightweight new-season lambs from the Riverina region of New South Wales (NSW). The actual supply of quality heavy slaughter lambs remains very limited, with the yarding now resembling a typical late winter offering of mixed clean-up lots, often comprising fewer than 30 head per pen. The market has stabilized at last week's price levels, with only modest changes. Some of the best trade and heavy lambs have seen a few dollars increase in price amid low supplies, while some categories of light lambs averaged higher than last Monday. However, the benchmark price for processing lambs has remained steady at 1,100 cents per kilogram (c/kg) carcass weight (cwt), with most trade and heavy crossbred lambs trading between 1,020 and 1,180 c/kg cwt.

A significant highlight of the sale was a large offering of light young store lambs from southern NSW, bred from Merino ewes and sired by White Suffolk and Dorset lambs, with some lines consisting of over 500 head. Additionally, there was a draft of first-cross ewe lambs from NSW, which typically feature in the special crossbred sales held at Bendigo each November. These young lambs attracted strong competition from restockers and sold at robust c/kg rates depending on size, particularly the lightest lambs. Only a few pens of heavy export lambs were available, selling for $372 to a top of $423 per head. The best heavy trade crossbred lambs sold for $280 to $306 per head, while general mixed trades weighing 22-25 kg went for $230 to $280 per head.

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More new season young lambs are beginning to appear, with lead pens weighing between 26 kg and nearly 30 kg cwt priced from $300 to a top of $350 per head. Young trade lambs under 25 kg cwt, with slightly less condition, sold for $220 to $270 per head. Restockers paid between $170 and $233 for the advertised lines of young first-cross ewe lambs, and $190 to $230 for young fattening lambs with good frame and growth. The large lines of more genuine-sized young store lambs under 18 kg cwt sold strongly, ranging from $130 to $190 per head, while the tail-end drafts ranged from $80 to $116 per head. On a size basis, young store lambs sold strongly at high c/kg cwt estimates.

A total of 7,400 sheep were yarded, with prices quoted at 680c to 780c/kg for most mutton. The majority of the better quality lines sold above 720c/kg, occasionally hitting 800c/kg. In terms of dollars per head: heavy Merino ewes with skin values sold for $230 to $286; big crossbred ewes for $200 to $274; a general run of trade sheep for $140 to $200; and light sheep for $65 to $135. It is worth noting that processors were reluctant to take very light ewes weighing under 14 kg cwt in this yarding, resulting in a large line of Merinos being passed in.

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