Unexpected price rises at Bendigo

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Yarding - 20,760

Buyers lined-up for Bendigo anticipating an easier day price-wise but couldn’t hold the market. Both the lamb and sheep sales opened softer but quickly gained momentum. The price point for good processing lambs late in the auction was at much higher levels than where the sale began. There was just 12,260 lambs yarded, down nearly 6700 head on a week ago. Quality was more varied with less consistent lines of well finished lambs available. A major domestic order was absent and while the other regular buyers attended some didn’t operate fully, especially once price rates lifted. The sweet spot of the sale was good 26-30kg cwt crossbred lambs which gained $10 to $20/head. Any good trade lambs, which were limited, averaged $6 dearer. Some of the neat MK style light lambs were considerably dearer in places. But there was also lambs that showed a weaker trend than last week and they were usually on the plainer side for breeding quality and fat cover.

The heaviest export lambs over 30kg cwt sold from $212 to a top of $255 and cost averages were still around 700c to 725kg cwt. Well finished 26-30kg cwt lambs were the market highlight, the best crossbred lines selling from $190 to $226, boosted to cost averages above 740c after some pens hit 800c/kg cwt late in the auction. Neat trades were scarce and sold from $158 to $164 for the best 22-24kg cwt pens. Once off the lead pens the general run of mixed lambs under 24kg cwt had varied results around quality, fat cover and number in a pen. Broadly a lot of lambs were in the 650c to 750c range. A restocking order paid $139 for store lambs with a tradeweight frame. Some of the neater lines of MK lambs were considerably dearer at up to $130/head. Smaller and plainer lambs $59 to $110.

The sheep sale started off flat at $90 for big crossbred ewes but by the end of the run buyers had paid up to $110. Heavy Merino ewes in wool sold to a top of $125. Some categories of heavy mutton were dearer, while there was a consistent stronger trend over light and trade sheep. Most sheep $60 to $100 at averages of 280c to 330c/kg cwt. There was a surprising amount of hoggets in this sale, with the lead pens of crossbreds with shape and weight much dearer at up to $183/head.

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