These 14-15 month-old Composite ewes near Hamilton, Victoria, sold for $181 on AuctionsPlus last week.

AUCTIONSPLUS sheep and lamb listings increased by more than 30,000 to 92,000 last week.

First cross ewes sold to $176.50, ewe lambs to $170.50, Merino ewe hoggets to $144 and composite ewes to $181.

Merino ewe hoggets averaged $109 in the online sales, with a top price of $144 paid for 400, 13-15 month-old unjoined early November shorn Centre Plus blood ewes, 45.1kg lwt and mostly score 3, from Young, New South Wales.

Younger Merino ewes made up to $122.50 and averaged $107. Aged Merino ewes averaged $86 and up to $101 for 420 5-6 year-old mid-May shorn Eudora blood ewes, 65.9kg lwt and mostly score 2 from Warren, NSW.

First cross Border Leicester/Merino ewe lambs topped the sale at $170.50 with an average price of $145.50. Young breeders made up to $176.50 with an average of $151. The top priced lot was a mob of unjoined Border Leicester/Merino, 2.5 year old 75kg ewes which had a 1.5’’ skin from Naracoorte, South Australia.

Composite ewes sell to $181

In the feature Cashmore Oaklea ewe sale, 74 percent of the 7000-plus ewes offered sold. Ewe lambs made up to $166.60 for an average of $140. Young ewes averaged $176 and made up to $181 for 181 14-15 month-old early-May shorn ewes, 55.2kg lwt and mostly score 2 and 3, at Morgiana, near Hamilton, Victoria. Aged ewes made up to $180 for an average of $132.

Store lambs follow saleyard trends

Store lamb numbers on AuctionsPlus followed the saleyard trends last week, but were also boosted by the annual North East Victorian Lamb Backgrounder & Finisher Sale. An abundance of Merino wether lambs made up to $94.50 and averaged $75.

Store lambs weighing 28-30kg lwt averaged $79 or 668c/kg carcase weight (including skin value), 31-33kg ranged from $75-$97.50 to average $88.75 or 631c/kg. Lines weighing 34-35kg made $75-$100.50 and averaged $92 or 614c/kg and 36-37kg lambs sold from $88.50-$105.50 to average $95 or 599c/kg. The top-priced mob were 35kg White Suffolk cross mixed sex lambs from Violet Town, Victoria.

NLRS lamb indicators increase for the week

After Friday’s saleyard sales, the National Livestock Reporting Service quoted most lamb categories as firm to dearer, capping off overall weekly price improvements.

The lam ESDIs with their daily and weekly changes were: restocker 542c/kg, up 1 cent, down 7c; Merino 473c/kg, up 3c, up 27c; light 505c/kg, up 1c, no change; trade 524c/kg, no change, up 9c; heavy 533c/kg, no change, up 15c. The national trade lamb indicator was up 1 cent to 525c/kg and the heavy indice closed firm on 533c/kg.

The ESDI for mutton was down 2 cents to 319c/kg, a seven-cent fall for the week, and the national indicator finished down 2 cents to 318c/kg.

Cowra lamb demand weaker

In New South Wales at the Cowra saleyards on Friday, the agents yarded 12,600 lambs, 4600 more than last week, and 2130 sheep, 1640 more.

The NLRS said the lamb offering’s quality was generally good, with well-presented shorn and unshorn lambs and some lines that lacked finish. Mainly trade and heavy weights were penned, with more shorn new season lambs. There was a large run of new season store lambs suitable for the restockers. All the buyers operated and demand was generally weaker, except for the store lambs, due to improved quality and competition.

Light lambs sold to processors averaged $102, down $1. Store lambs were around firm and averaged from $84-$104. Medium and heavy trade weight new seasons were firm to $1 cheaper at around 530-535c/kg cwt. Unshorn new season heavy trade weights made $118-$129 and shorn lambs sold from $118-$128.

Heavy weight shorn lambs were $3-$6 cheaper at 540-550c/kg. A few pens of extra heavy weight shorn lambs sold from $150-$170.

Medium Merino ewes were $6 cheaper and averaged $66, or 275c/kg cwt. Medium Merino wethers averaged $73, or 294c/kg. Heavy first cross ewes were $5 easier and averaged $91, or 287c/kg.

Shepparton lambs sell to $148

In Victoria at the Shepparton saleyards on Friday, the agents yarded 1800 lambs, 600 fewer than last year and 1900 sheep, 850 more.

The NLRS said it was a mixed yarding of lambs and sheep. Most lambs were offered in small pen lots of less than 30 head, and the limited selection and plain quality meant only a handful of the regular processing buyers attended.

A token supply of reasonable domestic and export slaughter lambs sold to $148 for a pen of young extra heavy weights estimated at more than 30kg cwt. A few pens of better presented trade weight lambs sold from $122-$133. The remainder of most lambs sold to processors for $85-$115 and reflected the lack of weight and secondary quality of most stock in the yarding. Carcase prices varied due to the mixed offering.

Restocker demand remained strong for lines of recently shorn store lambs, which sold from $93-$98 and averaged $96, similar to recent markets.

Prices for extra heavy mutton showed a weaker trend. Pens of crossbred ewes averaged $6-$10 easier at mostly $75-$86. The good lines of Merino trade weight ewes and wethers received stronger support, selling from $65-$85 to average around 340c/kg cwt.

Source: AuctionsPlus, NLRS, MLA.