Farm Tender

Wagga Wagga Lamb market struggled to find a base price causing enormous price spreads

Yarding - 27,700 (-10,800).
Lambs - 24,000 (+8000).
Sheep - 3700 (-2800).

Lamb supplies reduced on the back of last week's price correction. Quality once again was very good over trade and heavy lamb categories, with most lamb’s grain assisted or finished on crop. Heavy and extra heavy lambs’ numbers were similar. There were limited supplies of lighter weight lambs with most selling to processors. The market struggled to find a base price causing enormous price spreads over all classes. Restocker activity was reduced with buyers showing a great deal of caution as the market swung wildly throughout the sale.

Prices for domestic lambs met with very subdued demand resulting in price falls of up to $25/head. Demand was the topic, with all processors starting they were inundated with over the hook lambs. Heavy trade, 22 to 24kg, made from $162 to $190/head to average 747c/kg cwt.

There were a couple of pens of new season lambs, with prices easing $18 to $23/head to average 740c to 780c/kg cwt. Merino trade lambs sold to the usual group of buyers and all categories sold to very week competition to average 712c/kg cwt.

There were not all the usual export buyers at the rail and domestic buyers rarely made purchases in this category. Price results for heavy lambs sold $24/head cheaper with this category like a dead cat trying to bounce. Extra heavy lambs were hit with a major price correction of$30 to $42/head. Lambs weighing 26 to 30kg sold from $178 to $212/head. Over 30kg cwt types sold $41/head cheaper to average 599c/kgc wt.

It was a mixed quality yarding of mutton with heavy sheep in reasonable supply. Heavy crossbred ewes averaged 535c/kg cwt. Heavy Merino ewes made from $158 to $198/head. Trade sheep sold to mixed price trends averaging 611c/kg cwt.