With the $454 lambs at Forbes saleyards were, from left, KMWL agent Matt Lennon, Archie McMahon, Ross McMahon, Charlie Mortimer and Freddie McMahon. Image – KMWL Facebook.

A SPECIAL plan to clinch the national lamb price record for his young sons came to fruition for Tullamore producer Ross McMahon when he sold lambs for $454 at the Forbes saleyards yesterday.

Miller, Whitty and Lennon Co agent Matt Lennon said KP and RL McMahon and family sold 43 Poll Dorset cross lambs for $454 to set the new national record.

The lambs were estimated to dress out at about 47kg and were sold to Southern Meats at Goulburn.

“They were terrific lambs,” Mr Lennon said.

The McMahons also sold a second pen of 32 for $449. Mr Lennon said the McMahons run a feedlot on farm.

“They turn over quite a number of lambs and they’ve been in the market for a number of weeks now – if they’re not selling every week it’s second or third week.

“And they’re generally turning off lambs with carcase weights from 26-30kg.”

Mr Lennon said Mr McMahon and the boys had prepared the lambs with the aim of setting a price record.

“They held them back and kept looking after them.

“They presented them spot on, they had them shorn and they had that right length pelt on them and just presented very very well, which was good,” he said.

“And the boys were there to watch them get sold – it gets the boys in and keeps them interested.

“Quite often when I’m out there drafting the lambs up, the boys are actually down there helping out.”

Mr Lennon said the lamb sale was strong all through the various categories.

“But the trade lambs are the ones that selling the dearest per kilogram at the moment.

He said some lambs were pushing $13/kg cwt at the sale.

Meat & Livestock Australia’s National Livestock Reporting Service said there was a good offering of finished and grain assisted lambs in the larger yarding at Forbes yesterday, with more weight yarded.

The usual buyers competed in another buoyant market. The NLRS said a few pens of new season lambs sold from $232-$312. Trade weight old lambs sold $4-$8 better at $230-$318. Heavyweights were firm to $8 dearer with those to 26kg making $301-$338.

The NLRS said export lambs again attracted strong competition with three pens surpassing the previous national record of $440.20 set at Wagga last week. Heavy lamb prices ranged from $296 to the new national record of $454. Carcase prices ranged from 1072-1240c/kg. Heavy Merino lambs sold from $283-$350.

After strong sales today at Hamilton and Horsham in Victoria, Yass and Cowra in New South Wales, Warwick in Queensland and Katanning in Western Australia, the heavy lamb indicator rose again to reach 1159c/kg and the trade lamb indicator improved further to 1176c/kg.

And what’s ahead for spring restocking?

Mr Lennon said the lamb market was so good at the moment because numbers from the south (Victoria and South Australia) had thinned out.

“If we can have any sort of a spring in the south I think you will see the restocking job improve.

“At the moment, in comparison to the fat job, the restocking job is well-priced (for the buyer),” he said.

Mr Lennon said as far as buying ewes in lamb or steer and heifer weaners to put away, it’s cheap in comparison to the fat market due to the lack of pasture feed.

“We basically went from a dry time into winter, so we are really counting on a good spring and we get a good spring I think you’ll see things get a little bit dearer that way.

In an X post, NSW lamb producer Tom Bull highlighted a sale of $430 for scanned in-lamb ewe lambs on AuctionsPlus and Mr Lennon said he expected the ewe market to get dearer closer to spring.

He said the agency sold two year-old first cross ewes, scanned in-lamb, on AuctionsPlus a few weeks ago for $285.

“When your top lambs are making over $300 and over $400, that’s not a dear proposition.”

He said a certain age category of farmers had gone out of sheep into cattle and/or cropping or even into shedding sheep to cut back on labour costs.

“And I think the conditions haven’t been favourable so it would be certainly nice to see a good spring and if prices going the way they are – the cattle job is starting to rise as well.

“So with everything looking good into the future I think you will see a few people have a think about their operation going forward, if we have a good spring,” he said.