Red skinned Lambs top out at $333 at Ballarat

Yarding: 36,600

Slight increase in lamb numbers to 28,300 head, and there was some exceptional quality on offer in the trade and export sections. The yarding included a run of very heavy ‘red skinned’ lambs off potato country which Ballarat is famed for, and which agents described as the best quality they had yarded this season. They topped at $333/head. The price trend across the sale for processing lambs over 22kg cwt was firm to a few dollars dearer for the pick of the stock that showed carcass quality and short skins.

The most consistently dearer trend was for light lambs under 20kg cwt suiting MK processing orders and feeder and restocking. These light lambs posted the highest cents per kilogram price averages of the market as values moved up another level. Extra heavy export lambs sold to a top of $333 and they were the heavier brother’s of last week’s top pen at $318/head. For an idea of size, agents said there were lambs in the $333 pen which had weighed over 100kg lwt and the estimated carcass size was 42kg plus. Three pens of lambs sold above $300/head, with most of the export lambs priced from $245 to $285/head at an estimated average of 810c/kg cwt. The heavy 26-30kg cwt lambs varied from $202 to $250; the heavy trades $190 to $215; and the general run of medium trades $165 to $190/head.

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For the lamb categories under 30kg cwt the price rate was 820c to 860c/kg for the pick of the real neat types in short skins, while the off-the-top lambs varied from 750c to 800c/kg cwt. This meant the ballpark averages across the sale remained similar at 780c to 830c/kg cwt for everything sold. Where bidding did intensify and remain strong was on light lambs. The main run of 18-20kg crossbred lamb sold from $146 to $170/head at an estimated cost of nearly 850c/kg cwt to processors. There was a lot of small lambs which sold from $120 to $150 to a mix of feeders, restockers and processing orders.

The sheep yarding lacked quality with most ewes and wethers presenting in plain fat score 1 and 2 condition. Demand from the buying group was errratic at times and there was some cheaper results in the sale, particularly on the plainest and lightest mutton. The better presented sheep sold at similar rates to a week ago. Merinos with frame and wool from $90 to $135/head. Heavier crossbred ewes with cover $115 to $141/head. Lot of sheep from $50 to $80/head, followed by the most secondary light lots at $10 to $40/head.

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