These 15-18 month-old 55kg lwt first cross ewes sold for $235 at Naring in Victoria on AuctionsPlus last week

STORE lambs sold to 707c/kg cwt and unjoined first cross hoggets made $235 on AuctionsPlus last week.

In an indication of growing restocker confidence, AuctionsPlus said its Spring Store Lamb sale last week cleared 98 percent of the 14,657 head offered from Victoria and South Australia to buyers in New South Wales, Victoria and SA.

Store lambs weighing 25-30kg lwt made $78.50-$86, with a range of 656-707c/kg cwt, including skin value, and an average of 686c/kg. The top-priced mob were 29kg Watervalley first cross wether lambs which made $82.

Lambs weighing 30.1-35kg made from $77-$84, or 592-654c/kg cwt, including skin value, with an average of 623c/kg. Lambs weighing 35.1-40kg made from $85-$100, with a range of 543-645c/kg and an average of 579c/kg.

The store lamb sale helped lift sheep and lamb numbers by more than 20,000 head to 80,769, the largest online offering since February this year.

Young and unjoined future breeding ewes were also in high demand. Young Merino hoggets sold from $50 for 33kg lwt ewes up to $156, with an average of $115. The top-priced lot were unjoined 52kg lwt Bundilla blood 13-14 month-old hoggets with a 3cm skin from Mangoplah, NSW. A line of Pooginook blood Merino hoggets from Young NSW made $147.50. A large offering of proven breeders from the eastern states sold from $39.50-$120 for an average $81.85.

AuctionsPlus said the market firmed for a large offering of Merino wether lambs, from mainly Victoria and South Australia. Prices ranged from $47-$99, with an average of $84, down $1 on last week. The top-priced mob was 3-4 month-old Sherlock blood lambs with a 4cm skin.

A small offering of Border Leicester/Merino hoggets also drew buyer attention, selling from $158.50-$235, and an average of $185.90. The top priced lot were 15-18 month-old unjoined 55kg lwt hoggets from Naring Victora, which had a 1cm skin. A number of lines of
White Dorpers caught buyers’ attention, with 67.2kg lwt mixed age ewes from Dubbo
NSW making $177. These were joined to Australian White Rams.

NLRS indicators firm for lambs

In saleyards in NSW and Victoria on Friday, prices firmed for quality trade and heavy lambs, underpinned by renewed restocker interest. However, NLRS Eastern States Daily Indicators for lamb are still firm to 15 cents lower than a week ago, except for heavy lambs.

After Friday’s saleyard sales, the ESDIs for lambs, the daily and weekly changes are: restocker 567c/kg, no change, down 12 cents; Merino 440c/kg, up 3c, down 15c; light 489c/kg, no change, down 7c; trade 519c/kg, up 3c, no change; heavy 519c/kg, up 4c, down 5c. The national trade lamb indicator moved up 3 cents on Friday to 523c/kg and the heavy indice rose 5 cents to 518c/kg.

The ESDI for mutton held firm on 344c/kg and the national indicator moved down 1 cent to 343c/kg.

Griffith lambs dearer

In New South Wales at the Griffith saleyards, the agent yarded 10,350 lambs, 1450 more than last week, and 4100 sheep, 900 more.

The NLRS 8500 mixed quality new season lambs were penned. There were good numbers of finished lambs, along with the plainer drier types. Most were trade and heavy lambs. The usual buyers competed, along with restockers, in a dearer market.

New season lambs to restockers sold from $75-$109. Light lambs sold from $100-$111. Trade weights were $5-$6 dearer, with prices ranging from $115-$138. Heavy lambs lifted $8 to sell from $136-$159. Carcase prices ranged from 560-575c/kg. Old light lambs sold from $95-$105. Trade weights made $105-$126. Heavy and extra heavies ranged from $126-$150.

The sheep were mostly Merinos and quality was very mixed. Merino ewes sold from $73-$110. Crossbred ewes made $80-$104.

Cowra trade lambs $1-$5 dearer

At the Cowra saleyards, the agents yarded 6200 lambs, 2300 fewer than last week, and 650 sheep, 470 less.

The NLRS said lamb quality was good, particularly among the well-finished new season lambs which were in top condition. Mainly new season lambs were penned, mostly trade and heavy weights, but there were more store lines. All the usual buyers operated and competition was solid, especially as the sale progressed, resulting in a dearer market.

Light new season lambs sold to restockers averaged $96. Medium and heavy trade weight new season lambs were $1-$5 dearer at 550-560c/kg cwt. Most of the heavy trade weights sold from $125-$133. Heavy weight new season lambs were $4-$6 dearer at 520-540c/kg cwt. A few pens of extra heavy weights sold from $145-$151. Old trade lambs were dearer and averaged $101. Heavy weight old lambs averaged from $129 and sold to $150 or around 475c/kg.

Sheep quality was mixed. Medium weight first cross ewes were down $1 and averaged $73.80 or 314c/kg cwt. Heavy first cross ewes sold firm and averaged $95.90 for the 4 scores, or around 320c/kg.

Shepparton lamb prices firm

In Victoria at the Shepparton saleyards on Friday, the agents yarded 3144 lambs, 1604 more than last week, and 721 sheep, 279 fewer.

The NLRS said there was a bigger and better quality selection of 1900 young lambs, which attracted more processor orders.

Prices on a carcase weight basis were similar to the cheaper rates of the previous sale. However, more weight and quality lifted per head returns to a top of $155 for export weight young lambs estimated at around 28-29kg cwt. There were only a few hundred old season lambs of very mixed quality and only a few meat buyers showed interest. Two export orders operated and three pens of heavy lambs over 27kg cwt sold from $150-$155. The lead pens of heavy trade lambs sold from $128-$142. Most of these better quality slaughter lambs ranged from 500-520c/kg. The market struggled at times was on the general run of 20-22kg cwt young lambs which mostly sold from $104-$120. Some sales in this category were below 500c/kg.

Restockers from the local area, Bendigo and Wodonga paid from $91-$106 for bigger framed store lambs, while smaller lambs sold back to the paddock made $45-$88.

Most of the 1200 old season lambs were secondary types. Prices reached $127.50 for a pen of heavy Dorpers, with most sales from $86-$100 at varied carcase rates depending on finish and quality.

Sheep prices were mostly firm to dearer, with the best gains recorded for leaner and lighter trade mutton. Extra heavy ewes sold from $86-$105, while most of the trade and light weight ewes sold from $68-$82.

Sources: MLA, NLRS, AuctionsPlus.