These 18.8kg cwt Poll Dorset cross lambs at Benalla sold for $110.50 in Landmark’s NE Vic AuctionsPlus sale on Monday.
North-east Victorian lamb producers sold nearly 10,000 store lambs to strong restocker competition in Landmark’s 10th annual backgrounding and finishing sale on AuctionsPlus on Monday.
AuctionsPlus market operations officer Anna Adams said 37 of 87 registered buyers bid in the sale with all 9755 lambs offered selling in 87 minutes to restockers and backgrounders, who outbid processors and feedlots.
Across all breed types offered, the 28-30kg liveweight lambs made $70-$92.50, the 31-32kg lines sold from $85-$88 and the 34-36kg lots ranged from $75.50-$90, she said. The 37-38kg liveweight lambs sold for $87.50-$98.50 and the 39-40kg drafts made $91-$102.50.
The top priced lambs were six month old mixed sex Poll Dorset-first cross lambs from Benalla that averaged 42kg live and sold for $110.50. The best carcase weight price was for 743c/kg or 310c/kg liveweight for 30kg shorn second crosses from Wangaratta.
Across the first and second cross, and composite lambs offered, the 0-12kg cwt lambs made 612c/kg-743c/kg, the 12.1-16kg lambs sold for 532c/kg-740c/kg, the 16.1-18kg lambs made 514c/kg-593c/kg and the 18.1-20kg lines ranged from 474c/kg-588c/kg.
Lambs sold above saleyard rates
Landmark’s AuctionsPlus co-ordinator for Victoria and Tasmania, David Welsh at Benalla, said the lambs sold above expectations and all went back on grass and grain for finishing. Three export processors bid on lambs in the sale.
“It was better than thought but after the last 10 days of markets I thought we were set for a pretty good result.”
Mr Welsh believed the lambs sold above recent saleyard rates and this highlighted the buoyant industry attitude about the lamb market’s prospects next year.
“I think January is going to be very good.”
He said it was very hard to source rates on lines of shorn lambs and more lambs had been sold as suckers this year.
“There is probably not the amount of store lambs around.
“These were fresh, the tops of the drop and ready to go.”
Most of the lambs sold into southern NSW and the Bendigo, Yarrawonga and Yarra Valley areas.
Most lambs were spring-drop
He said the sale attracted a lot of repeat buyers and some vendors bred lambs specifically for the sale. About 80 percent of the offering were spring-drop lambs. Mr Welsh co-ordinated the sale with Colin Broughton from Landmark Euroa.
“The vendors were really happy.”
Sources: AuctionsPlus and Landmark
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