Prime Lamb & Sheep

Total Yarding: 19,741

Lamb numbers jumped with an increase in new season lambs, around 8000 were penned, most were trade and heavy weights and a reasonable number of store lambs. The quality was good with only a few of the new season lambs starting to dry off. Old lambs were a little mixed with some neatly shorn lambs and some longer skinned woolly lambs, most old lambs were heavy trades or heavier. There also were reasonable numbers of Hoggets. All the usual buyers operated and there were a few extra buyers operating in the larger yarding. The market sold to firm trends on the heavy trade and heavy lambs but eased on the lighter trade lambs and stores

New season store lambs to 18kg eased $20 and sold to $70/head. Medium and heavy trade weights to 24kg were $5 to $8 cheaper and ranged from $75 to $113/head and averaged from 440c to 450c/kg cwt. Lambs 24 to 26kg were firm $112 to $127 and heavy weights $116 to $140/head and averaged 410c to 420c/kg cwt.

Old 2 score processing lambs mostly sold from $35 to $68 and trade weights to 24kg$54 to $98/head averaging 350c to 400c/kg with a premium for short skin lambs. Lambs 24 to 26kg were $7 stronger $80 to $126 and heavy weights were up $8 selling from $123 to $138/head or 380c to 430c/kg. Merino trades sold from $54 to $91/head. The best of the Hoggets reached $80/head.

Mutton numbers also lifted and the quality improved. There were good numbers of ewes and prices were $5 to $6/head stronger. Medium weight ewes ranged from $19 to $32 and heavy crossbreds $34 to $52/head Merino wethers ranged from $26 to $58/head.

Market Report: MLA’s National Livestock Reporting Service. Click here to download full market report.

Photo: 13 XB Suckers sold for $140ph by Duncombe & Co on behalf of E Jackson & L Roberts.