The deteriorating season across northern Victoria saw a special sale of store lambs strike troubled waters on Thursday.
Offering yarding of 11,000 crossbred and merino lambs to a extremely limited field of buyers, prices started softer then tumbled sharply as the sale progressed in a $25 to $60 a head rate adjustment.
With only about one-10th of the strength as the previous sale a fortnight ago in attendance, auctioneers frequently struggled to generate interest with about 25 per cent of the penning failing to find a home at the vendor’s reserve.
A market top of $120 a head was paid for a small yard of 73 White Suffolk Merino-cross offered by PW Cain.
Other better end sales of crossbred lambs made $70 to $112 a head while very light lambs realized prices as low as $25- $40, with a large percentage sold in the $45 to $70 a head range.
Elders auctioneer Nigel Starrick said prices hung on remarkably well at depressed.
“It is the state of the season and the reality of the market, he said. “Would-be buyers have turned to sellers and people who thought they had feed especially those with failed crops are now reassessing their position due to the potential of top-soil loss over the summer” he said.
A selection of Merino lambs were also cleared under similar circumstances, with the best drafts sold in the $70 to $90 a head range while lighter drafts made $26 to $60.
The sale was conducted by Elders and Landmark.
