WHAT a finish to last week with heavy export lambs selling to a top price of $212 a head at Wagga Wagga, NSW. The lamb market was well-supported across all categories, despite the greater numbers of lambs on offer.
At the Wagga market, buying dynamics shifted significantly on the day, with export processors the market drivers, which culminated in domestic buyers unable to pay the higher rates.
Export buyers mopped up lambs – weighing anywhere from 23kg-plus – which pushed medium weight trade price a few dollars higher.
A highlight was the noticeable step up in demand for heavy lambs weighing 25-26kg, with price lifting $7 to average 607 cents a kilogram carcase weight (cwt).
Major domestic processors attempted to increase their weight specifications, which caused bidding to intensify, but purchases were patchy, as they battled export processor for a market share.
Lighter weight secondary lambs tracked higher. With improved restocker confidence, buyers paid from $98-$121.
Meanwhile there was a notable decline in mutton numbers and as a result competition strengthened on the back of tighter supplies.
Trade sheep sold $3-$7 higher to av 344c/kg cwt.
Heavy crossbred ewes made to $122 and Merino ewes to $118.
Merino wethers sold at $128, av 360c/kg cwt.
Lamb prices continued to strengthen at Griffith as the market remained at the mercy of limited supplies of fresh quality lambs in northern markets.
Dorper and Merino lamb values improved, with prices $6-$9 higher on last week's dearer rates.
Well-finished trade lambs were a few dollars dearer, while heavy export lambs, 30kg-plus, pushed prices up by $5 to av 566c/kg cwt.
Lamb prices eased in opening markets on Monday, falling by up to $13.
The stress of deteriorating paddock feed after recent bursts of hot weather and abundance of numbers have forced prices down.
After a patchy days trading at Bendigo prices were wound back considerably with Merino lambs copping the brunt of the cheaper trends. Some agents commented due to the influx of numbers some export processors have limited kill space left to handle the greater supplies.
Numbers increased by 30pc at Bendigo compared to the previous week with agents yarding 26,229 lambs.
The National Livestock Reporting Service (NLRS) reported that light weight lambs to slaughter and well-bred recently shorn secondary lambs sold particularly well.
This category sold unchanged to a few dollars dearer with buyers generally paying from $80-$105.
The better-finished trade lambs made from $128-$144 to av 570c/kg cwt.
Extra heavy lambs sold to weaker demand with a small pen of 10 reaching a top price of $190, while only a small number of sales sold higher than $175.
Heavy export lambs av 532-552c/kg cwt.
Medium trade weight Merino lambs were out of favour with price falls of up to $17 for the 20-22kg weight range to av 479c/kg cwt.
Mutton escaped the cheaper trends with values $5-$12 higher.
Heavy crossbred ewes sold from $112-$144, while the best Merino sheep reached a top of $125.
Trade sheep av 375c/kg cwt.
Corowa's lamb sale followed the cheaper trend where lambs in the offering of 12,100 were down $8-$15.
Agent Clinton Rixon said fresh trade lambs sold to the keenest competition, but drier types were discounted.
The mutton market was unchanged with all processors operating.