Sheep the highlight at Bendigo

Yarding - 13,625

Prices strengthened again amid another small winter yarding of less than 14,000 lambs and sheep. Good processing lambs gained another $10 to $20/head with buyers chasing all types and breeds a lot harder, including the plainer and smaller penlots of stock. One northern exporter was absent but with the other regular buyers showing more intensity for numbers the entire market shifted-up. Although the mutton market nearly over-shadowed the stronger lamb results, sheep prices lifting by $20 to $40/hd in an auction that gathered pace as it went.

The sale peaked at $310 for a pen of extra heavy lambs estimated around 37kg cwt, with most of the export lambs in the 30-34kg cwt range from $250 to $280/hd. The heavy 26-30kg crossbred lambs mostly $200 to $248, and the best of the heavy trades at $200 to $221/hd. Basically any decent crossbred bred lambs over 24kg cwt commanded over 800c/kg, reaching 900c on occasion, and recording averages of 830c to 855c/kg cwt. The medium and light processing lambs were a lot more mixed for quality and fat cover with the bulk of sales from $140 to $175 to show a greater carcass price spread of about 700c to 800c/kg over the majority. The better style light MK processing lambs from $90 to $138/head. It is worth noting that Merino lambs in the trade and light categories were significantly dearer in places as buyers dropped back onto these for numbers.

The Farmers Club - Join Ag's Movers & Shakers Join The Farmers Club here. 

Sheep were arguably the highlight of the market, prices gaining momentum as the sale progressed. Trade and light sheep under 30kg cwt sold at much dearer levels. There was times during the auction when the second cut of ewes out of a line sold for more money than the heavier tops. The heaviest ewes were impacted by the absence of a northern exporter which usually dominates extra heavy mutton. The main runs of Merino ewes in the nice weight range of 24-30kg cwt sold from $110 to $164/hd to be costing processors over 500c/kg cwt. But there was a reasonable amount of price variance in c/kg terms across the mutton run as buyers tried to calculate values amid the rising market.

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