These May-June drop White Suffolk cross wether lambs sold for $264 for Padthaway’s Willalooka Pastoral Co. on AuctionsPlus last week.

NEW season lambs continued to dominate listings on AuctionsPlus last week, making up 66 percent of the online sheep and lamb offering.

AuctionsPlus last week offered 137,876 sheep and lambs, down 16pc from the previous week, but still 20pc above offerings in the corresponding 2020 period.

Central West New South Wales was the top purchasing region, securing 20,558 head. NSW and South Australian listings dropped considerably from last week, with NSW’s offering dropping 47pc to 43,841 head, and SA producers listing 49,048 head, down 40pc.

AuctionsPlus offered 89,205 new season lambs. Mixed results were again seen across the lamb categories, with three of the six categories recording a drop in average prices.

Producers offered 40,454 crossbred lambs, about 30pc of the total catalogue. Clearance for the category softened this week to 77pc, with prices averaging $171, back $2. SA offered 18,710 head and Victorian producers listed 18,569 head.

There were 12,224 first cross ewe lambs offered, that returned an average of $272/head, back $2. The clearance rate fell from 80pc the previous week to 55pc. The top first cross ewe lamb price was $390 for 150 lambs weighing 42.1kgs at Serpentine, Victoria.

The 18,702 Merino wether lambs offered amounted to 14pc of the total offering last week. The clearance rate was 81pc and the average price of $142 was back $5.

There were 5500 Merino ewe lambs offered, down 53pc, and the clearance rate was 64pc, at an average price of $167, $4 higher.

The 3801 Merino wethers offered sold from $110 to $156, to average $142, back $18. The category’s clearance rate increased to 61pc.

The 13,559 unjoined Merino ewe hoggets sold from $155 to $360 for an average price of $269, back $22, and the clearance rate remained low at 32pc.

Price for the 18,027 unjoined Merino ewes held firm to average $224m $1 lower, with a clearance rate of 56pc.

NOTE: Prices as at 5pm, Thursday 21st October, 2021