Up and down market at Bendigo

Yarding - 21,985

There has been a slight increase in lamb supply, now just over 14,000 head, with new season lambs beginning to outnumber old shorn stock. However, the lamb market did not maintain the pace from the previous week, with prices dropping by $15 to $25 per head across most processing grades. As a result, most sales of young lambs are estimated to be in the range of 1050c to 1150c/kg cwt, with very few reaching $12/kg in this market.

The price of small young restocking and feeder lambs remained relatively stable, as competition begins to intensify. Buyers from Ballarat, Horsham, and the local Bendigo area were actively competing against each other. Additionally, a processor was again purchasing young crossbred lambs for lot feeding. The quality of the old lamb run was noticeably poorer than a week ago, with fewer neat lines off grain available, leading to lower price results. The buying group showed less enthusiasm for numbers compared to last Monday, and bidding was inconsistent, with a noticeable lull during the middle of the auction. Not all buyers were fully active.

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In contrast, the mutton sale showed higher prices in some areas, tracking either side of last week’s strong results. A limited number of export weight young lambs over 30kg cwt sold for prices ranging from $372 to a high of $398 per head. Most of the leading young lambs, in the heavy 26-29kg cwt bracket, sold for $300 to $345 per head, with the best trade weights ranging from $260 to $312 per head. Specialist finishers from Ballarat were active in the light trade run, paying between $230 and a peak of $251 per head for lambs to shear. There was strong demand for well-bred small crossbred lambs, with 12-16kg cwt stores selling for between $154 and $197, averaging $184 per head. A processor paid between $200 and $220 for lambs in the 16-18kg cwt range to feed; these feeder and store lambs are still averaging over 1200c/kg cwt equivalent. The old lamb section saw a return to more smaller and mixed lots, and prices were cheaper, especially for plainer types. The best heavy lambs were priced between $340 and $384 per head, with a wider price range of around 950c to 1150c/kg in older lambs, depending on quality and skin presentation.

Mutton prices remained very strong, with heavier sheep being more expensive in some areas, and the overall run trending either side of last week’s elevated price levels. Generally, prices were around 700c to 800c/kg cwt for most mutton categories, but more sheep pushed above 800c, including some lines of lightweight Merino ewes. Heavy meat ewes sold for $227 to a top of $295 per head; the heaviest Merinos fetched between $230 and $292 per head; the general run of leaner trade sheep sold for $160 to $220 per head; decent light mutton went for $130 to $160 per head; and tail-end ewes were priced between $55 and $95 per head.

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