Good lighter Lambs considerably dearer at Bendigo

Yarding - 18,100

Just a slight increase to 11,560 lambs and 6540 sheep as selling resumed at Bendigo after the week’s break for the Kings Birthday holiday. Quality continued to decline with less weight and finish evident in a wintery yarding that was very plain in places. Two major exports watched but didn’t operate, while the rest of the buyers picked through the offering. The few heavy export lambs were unchanged on an average run, while the best trade lambs were dearer. Decent light lambs suiting MK processing orders or restockers considerably dearer and were arguably the highlight of the market, noting the price comparisons in this report refer back to the last Bendigo sale on June 3. As a guide, the majority of processing lambs sold in the range of 680c to 740c/kg cwt, with spikes out to 780c/kg for neat types in the sweet weight range of 24-27kg cwt if a couple of buyers locked-on. Trade lambs did outsell heavier stock today, meaning they recorded the higher c/kg rates amid more depth of buying compared to the export run.

The few pens of 30kg plus export lambs sold from $215 to a top of $244 at around 700c/kg cwt. The heavy 26-30kg cwt lambs had some price bounces when domestic buyers stepped in, selling from $183 to $224 to average a ballpark 710c/kg cwt. Good heavy trade lambs 24-26kg cwt $168 to $196, and the mediums from $155 to $188/head - these main trade lamb categories costing buyers 710c to 740c/kg cwt. Plainer and light trade lambs $128 to $148/head. In the light lamb run there was a lot of small Merinos in the 12-16kg cwt bracket which sold from $69 to $110/head to average a ballpark 550c/kg cwt. Decent pens of light crossbred lambs mostly $80 to $128/head amid more restocking and feeder support, with the better types costing over 700c/kg cwt.

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The mutton sale was cheaper with key exporters not active, and few sales of younger sheep managed to get over 400c/kg cwt. Merino ewes sold to $115 and crossbreds to $112, most sheep $60 to $100 - the main lines of tradeweight mutton estimated at around 365c/kg cwt. The sheep sale also lost momentum late in the auction with buyers purchasing some lots under 300c/kg cwt.

https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/Services/Bendigo-Livestock-Exchange