Sheep price levels are bouncing around, depending on who is buying and at which saleyard.
While some processors have secured a portion through direct sales, they are still present at the saleyard, but rarely in the fray.
Most of the regular sheep buyers made it to Wagga’s mutton sale for nearly 10,000 sheep, yet it was Goulburn and Fletchers international who were most active.
Prices generally fell for heavy sheep $10-$25, with the high Australian dollar also affecting rates. National Livestock Reporting Service said trade sheep were firm to $7 cheaper as buyers took a wide range of orders. It meant lighter sheep made from $61-$78, while trade sheep sold at $77-126 to average 443¢/kg cwt.
Bigger numbers of new season lambs have begun to appear at Wagga. Some lighter weights show the effects of the cold weather and plummeting temperatures. The bulk of the new season trade lambs sold from $128-$166 to average 640-660¢/kg cwt. Heavy lambs were influenced by the level of processor competition, which varied between agents. Heavy and extra heavy lambs slipped $7-$8 but any lambs weighing more than 35kg were close to last week’s rates, topping at $223.
The cheaper trend continued at Dubbo on Monday, where agents offered 36,400 lambs, 5000 more and 11,000 sheep. The increased supplies were due to a run of severe frost and the winter remaining extremely dry. Producers offloaded big numbers of lighter weight lambs and processors discounted them by $12-$16. Trade lamb rates melted $12-$16 to average 582¢/kg. There was also a price correction for heavy lambs of $12-$24, indicative of sales this week. In the mutton run, prices fell $6-$13, with carcass weight prices averaging 370-398¢/kg across the board.
Bendigo’s market of 9752 lambs produced weaker results, with the winter-affected yarding and reduced processor competition causing prices to fall $7-$15. Better presented trade lambs held their value best. The bulk of the trade lambs sold from $97-$157 to average 625¢/kg cwt. A small line-up of new season lambs were penned and the better quality lambs made from $128-$158 to average 648¢/kg cwt.
Lamb supplies dipped marginally at Ballarat to 7603 lambs and 4053 sheep. Rates fell $10-$18 for many lambs this week as domestic and export demand dropped away from the high market trends of recent weeks. The high dollar has been blamed for some of the correction across export categories. Heavy lambs sold at $147-$184 to average 569¢/kg. While there was some hefty price drops of up to $22 for first cross lambs trade lambs the general run slipped $11-$13 to average 603¢/kg cwt.
