Softer results at Wagga Wagga

Yarding - 55,500

Similar supply of 39,000 lambs but quality continues to slide with less top-end trade and heavy lambs available. It influenced market results with the best processing lambs under 28kg cwt dearer at times, but buyers backing off on the average run where there was more numbers. Softer results for some of the plainer lambs did reduce overall c/kg quotes on key tradeweight categories. Price results for heavy export lambs over 30kg cwt were firm, averaging within a couple of dollars of last week. Light lambs were generally $5 to $10 softer amid plainer quality, and the best store lambs which were genuine spring drop and shorn still sold to robust demand. Grainfed Merino lambs continued to be well supported.

Heavy export lambs over 30kg cwt sold from $190 to a top of $251, with a consistent run of sales from $210 to $245/head for crossbreds in the 31-34kg cwt range. The ballpark average for export lambs was 710c/kg cwt. The heavy 26-30kg cwt lambs was where price variances were evident based around quality and if the top-end domestic orders locked onto a pen. These crossbred lambs sold from $180 to $223/head, the rate spreading from 660c to 800c/kg for a shandied cost to buyers of 720c to 740c/kg but with the top short-skinned lambs trending in the high 700c range. The sweet spot of the sale was neat 24-26kg cwt lambs which sold to $204 and averaged $191 at around 755c/kg cwt. There was a lot of quality variance in the medium trade lambs at $135 to $189 and again there was price spikes above 800c for occasional pens that buyers favoured, but those with less cover and in woolly skins were sometimes under 700c/kg cwt. Reasonably bred and presented light lambs mostly $90 to $135 to a mix of restocking and MK processing orders. In the Merino run some very good grainfed heavyweights sold to $217, and the best heavy trades from $185 to $196/head to trend around 700c/kg cwt. Light Merinos mostly $60 to $125, with the plainest and smallest below $40 at times.

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Similar supply of mutton which included some pens of very good heavy crossbred and Merinos sheep, but overall there was more plainer conditioned lots, the yarding tailing out to very light types at times. The sale did not have the strength of a week ago, with average carcass rates softening to between 330c to 380c/kg cwt over runs of the better covered sheep and below 300c on the plainest. Extra heavy crossbred ewes in fat score 4 condition from $100 to a top of $148/head. Heavy crossbred ewes with not quite as much carcass finish $90 to $120/head. Best Merino ewes $115 to a top of $148 for those with a big wool rebate. Merino wethers to $141/head. General run of trade sheep $65 to $95/head. Plainest ewes in very light condition $30 to $56/head.

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