The LMB Livestock and Land team selling the Brewis and Co lambs at Hamilton today.

OVERSEAS conflicts have made processors cautious, but continuing competition on available lambs is maintaining prices in saleyards, despite a recent dip in all indicators.

And the market this winter and spring is expected to be very strong, according to LMB Linke auctioneer Bernie Grant.

Mr Grant said a lot of the areas that would normally provide early new season lambs in south-east South Australia had destocked ewe flocks last year.

“I think the sucker job is going to be good this spring.”

Combining that with the impact of the dry conditions across large parts of New South Wales, he believed the lamb job will continue to be solid.

“Anyone that can is going to try to lamb down as many ewes as they can, especially around here.

“Because they haven’t had to handfeed as much up until now, grain isn’t overly dear and they all found out last year how they can feed sheep while lambing and they don’t mismother,” he said.

“So I think everybody will try to lamb down as many ewes as they can – it will be good.”

Mr Grant said processors were not scrambling for lambs at the moment and were dropping slaughter days “to get on top of things.”

Some processors didn’t buy lambs in Hamilton today and switched to sheep.

“I think with what’s happening overseas at the moment they are all just trying to hedge their bets a little bit.”

He expected saleyards would continue to be competitive with supermarket and export forward contracts for lambs at up to $12/kg-plus in June-July.

Mr Grant said good neat 22-25kg lambs making up to $12-$13/kg carcase weight in Hamilton in recent weeks.

“We’ve been seeing it on those, just not on the heavies.

“But it doesn’t need to get any dearer in my book.”

In Hamilton today, Mr Grant said the top-end lambs lacked the quality of earlier sales to be dearer on quality, good trade lambs were fully firm and some light lambs might have been a shade cheaper than last week.

Celebrating a good lamb sale at Hamilton with a coffee were Coby Brewis, left, and Marina Van Aken.

Karabeal producer Coby Brewis said she was very pleased with $360 to Thomas Foods International for Poll Dorset-Primeline composite cross lambs in Hamilton today, and had sold lambs to $400 last week. The lambs sold today were finished on bean stubbles and summer crops.

The Brewis family’s agent, TDC’s Guy Robertson said the saleyards in recent months have “been in front”, especially for neat 22-26kg lambs, but producers might be better off hooking 27-35kg lambs. He said Brewis & Co sold 259 lambs today averaged around $340.

“The yards are good, but the quality is definitely running out though.”

Producers were now getting focussed on scanning and feeding in-lambs ewes and sowing pastures on crop paddocks, he said.

Despite the impact of the current global uncertainty, Mr Robertson did not believe the numbers of lambs will be around through winter to hold the market back.

He said most producers are holding the confidence that winter prices will be good, especially those who have paid $10-11/kg for store lambs.

“I think the trade lambs will be absolutely no worries, the trade lambs will hold up really well, but everyone has paid big money for store lambs, so they will have to get them heavier than a trade – you’ve got to get a lamb to 30kgs to make the numbers work.

“So those 22-26kg lambs will be in very short supply, that’s my gut feeling.”

He said the Brewis operation sold store lambs on AuctionsPlus two weeks ago for $6.30/kg lwt or $14/kg cwt totalling $278 each.

Over the last two weeks since 10 April, the trade, light and restocker lamb indicators have dipped below $12/kg to $11-$11.80, and the heavy lamb indicator has dropped from$11.50/kg to $11.13/kg.