Two speed market at Bendigo

Yarding - 38,870

Lift in numbers to nearly 30,000 lambs or about 6000 more than a week ago. Quality was very mixed and there was a lot of young lambs which showed signs of dryness and having slipped in condition. The bulk of the young lambs fitted into trade and store lamb categories. Quality did play into results as effectively there was a two-speed market based around lamb freshness and size. Any lambs that still presented in fresh tight skins and with weight, mostly from southern supply areas like Kilmore, were firm to dearer at 800c/kg plus and reaching above 850c/kg at times.

But the general run of drier skinned lambs were $5 to $15/head cheaper to processors, noting not all the major buyers were fully active and bidding was selective across the market. Store lambs were $6 to $8/head softer, although some of the feature lines of well-bred crossbreds still sold strongly.

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Only limited pens of young lambs weighed above 28kg cwt and these sold from $230 to a top of $275/head. The pick of the heavy trade lambs from $190 to $230/head. After this there was a lot of sales of medium and light trade lambs at $150 to $185/head, the main run of crossbreds in the 22-24kg cwt range averaging $177/head, and the 20-22kg cwt lots $157/head. The lead of the MK sized processing lambs mostly $120 to $150/head. In the store lambs agents paid from $119 to $147/head for crossbreds showing some frame-size, while small store lambs sold from $50 to $114 to average $90/head to the paddock.

In the sheep run heavy ewes were modestly dearer after a soft result here a week ago, while light and trade sheep gained up to $10/head. Heavy ewes $90 to $110 with not as many extra heavy crossbreds available in this market. General run of trade and light sheep mostly $64 to $85/head. Good runs of mutton were estimated as costing processors from 300c to 370c/kg cwt.
https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/Services/Bendigo-Livestock-Exchange