Red hot lamb prices continued to bubble in saleyards across Victoria and New South Wales, during the past week.
Following on from the nation’s best price of $276.20 a head, paid at Wagga Wagga on June 28, other major saleyard outlets have in turn each re-written their own record books.
On Monday, Bendigo chalked a top price of $267.50, while Dubbo recorded a best bid of $271 a head.
Ballarat upped its centre best bid of $267, made last week, to post a $271 a head high on Tuesday.
TB White auctioneer Gerard White said the Ballarat supply of lambs could soon be exhausted.
“I reckon we have another two weeks of supply left with this volume” he said.
“Normally, in July, Ballarat numbers would be in the region of 10,000 but this week’s penning of 17,000 offered some exceptional weight and quality” he said.
Mr White said the Ballarat market toppers were a yard of 93 offered by the Guthrie family, Clarkes Hill, while the sales next best price, of $260, was secured by the Mortlock family, Dunluce, north of Avoca.
These were a bean and oat-fed lot of 40, drafted from a line of 235 head.
Elders Bendigo auctioneer Nigel Starrick said Bendigo had two best sales on Monday.
The highest of $267.50 a head for a yard of White Suffolk-cross was made for Shane and Amber Baker “Booloola White Suffolks”, Baringhup while a Merino top of $228.20, also a Bendigo record, was made for PG & CE Sewell, Culgoa.
Mr Starick said a sense of urgency swirled among the buying field. “You wouldn’t say they were jumping over each other to buy, but there were three or four bidders active on each lot” he said.
Asked about the pending sucker supply, Mr Starick said the first pen of early autumn-born young lambs were also offered in Bendigo’s Monday market.
They were from Durham Ox, weighed about 20.5kg and made $175 per head.
“We’re gaining mixed reports about the progress of the young lambs” he said.
“There are pockets, on irrigation, were good progress is being made
“But on rainfall country it is ordinary and decisions will be made whether lambs are shorn and held or sold as stores”.
“And over the (Murray) River, it varies from ordinary to awful with some lambs battling for survival”.
Gerard White suggested the cost of purchasing young ewes in the spring could soar as high as $400 a head.
“We saw a best of $360 last year for young breeds.”