The tightening of lamb supplies in Victoria is a typical summer trend this time of year which has caused some exceptional prices to be recorded in the past week.
Historical data shows lamb prices have rarely stayed at high levels for long.
At present however, the market appears to have more underlying strength because of the power of restockers and export sales being supported by solid prices and demand from the US.
The shortfall of well-finished lambs saw buyers at Hamilton push prices to exceptional levels, with medium and heavy trade lambs lifting $20-$43 a head.
The high point of the sale was 26 kilogram-plus lambs where export processors raised the bar $49, regularly paying from $210-$300 to average 947 cents a kilogram carcase weight.
Meanwhile in their mutton market medium and heavy sheep saw the biggest jump of $24-$44 to sell from $148-$288, returning 680-705c/kg cwt.
Light sheep rates were up $24 making $99-$134 or about 680c/kg cwt.
At Wagga Wagga, NSW, heavy lambs were hot property when northern buyers clashed for a market share.
There were plenty of big runs of heavy lambs offered above 30kg cwt.
Buyers pushed rates up by $18, paying from $244 to $340 to average 890-930c/kg cwt.
It was more of the same in the trade run with quality trade lambs selling like hot cakes.
Supermarkets and Fletchers International clashed sending rates $20 higher to average 969c/kg cwt.
Not surprisingly sheep numbers fell dramatically after heavy rain with only 5300 yarded.
Prices were firm to slightly dearer averaging 667c/kg cwt.
Bigger numbers of lambs were offered at Bendigo on Monday when agents penned 22,000 lambs.
Most lamb sales were $12-$30 dearer and trade lambs on a carcase weight basis making from 920-940c/kg.
The best heavy export lambs sold up to $312, with the general run selling at $276-$303 to average 912c/kg cwt.
There was more interest in restocking lambs at Bendigo this week.
All sales were dearer fetching $104-$184.
Almost 4600 mutton sold to similar trends to the previous market.
Heavy crossbred ewes topped at $278 with heavy sheep averaging 664c/kg cwt.
Trade sheep were in reasonable supply making from $132-$210 to average 670c/kg cwt.
Heavy lambs were a highlight at Ballarat on Tuesday in a bigger offering of 26150.
Heavy lambs jumped $48 topping at $350 to average 886-921/kg cwt.
Trade lambs were $12-$15 and strengthening as the sale progressed to average 945c/kg cwt.
Lambs to feed on kept many a pundit breathless surging $15-$26, making from $162-$230.
