The $426 lambs at the Bendigo Livestock Exchange today. Image – McKean McGregor.

National Livestock Reporting Service reporter Jenny Kelly said it was the strongest lamb market the selling centre has record and on a similar level to the strong price rates evident at northern markets like Griffith and Wagga Wagga in New South Wales late last week.

McKean McGregor auctioneer and livestock manager Alex Collins said he sold 204 White Suffolk-Composite cross lambs for a southern Mallee producer for $426 to Thomas Foods International.

The producer ultimately averaged $420.80 for 357 40kg cwt lambs, after another line of 59 made $420 and 94 sold for $410.

“It was a very strong lamb sale, we’ve seen it gain a lot of momentum over the last few weeks.

“After what happened at Wagga and Griffith last week, we knew it was going to be pretty hot.”

Mr Collins said despite the high per head prices for the heavy lambs, probably the strength of the sale was with the heavy trade lambs where competition from exporters and supermarkets pushed per kg prices up to $12/kg.

Ms Kelly said there was some outstanding lines of hard finished grain-fed lambs in this yarding, and buyers rewarded quality and weight, easing back on lambs that didn’t quite have the same carcase finish.

“It meant there was a an estimated carcass price spread of 950c to 1150c/kg across the majority of the processing lambs, which put cost averages for most processing categories in the 1040c to 1090c/kg cwt range,” she reported.

Merino lambs sold to $242/head and most were lighter weight types that made 900-1000c/kg cwt. Most of the 30kg cwt plus lambs sold from $320 to $390/head, the main fat-score 4 category averaging $368/head. Heavy lambs, 26-30kg cwt, varied from $270 to $350/head and again with the best score 4 types averaging over $300/head, compared to the score 3 lambs with less finish and yield at $286/head.

Ms Kelly said there was some hot spots for neat trade lambs, with some pens in the 22-24kg cwt range selling to $287/head at close to 1200c/kg at times.

“Most trade weighted lambs $220 to $275/head.

“Best quality light lambs from $150 to $200/head, restockers paying to $220/head for trade framed lambs to feed on,” she said.

There was still some wintery clean-up lots of light crossbred lambs from $100 to $130/head, but on very mixed quality and usually small numbers in a pen. Any good lines of MK style Merino lambs offering buyers a wool rebate sold strongly at $145 to $194/head.

The mutton sale was also dearer, with the heaviest crossbred ewes selling from $280-$310 and heavy Merino ewes in fleece to $290. Most heavy sheep made $220-$280 to be trending between 700-800c/kg cwt for most. Leaner and lighter sheep sold from $130-$194 to track either side of 700c/kg cwt, the NLRS said. The lightest ewes made $70 to $130/head.