SA lamb and sheep summary
03 February 2012
Larger yardings
Some hot days have drained lamb quality and also some of their producers, led to larger yardings at all markets covered by MLA’s NLRS. The SA LE increased around 42%, while Naracoorte’s numbers increased substantially from a rather low base last week. Mt. Gambier climbed by around 50% as feed reserves tighten in that region and are not being helped by large numbers of wingless grasshoppers.
The SA LE had mixed quality runs of shorn crossbred and Merino lambs that sold to fluctuating competition from the usual trade and export buyers. Feeder and restocker orders were also active on a mixture of lightweight crossbred and Merino lambs at generally dearer levels after a slow start. The light and medium trade weights remained basically unchanged, while the heavy trade weights were generally cheaper. The heavy crossbreds were cheaper.
Naracoorte’s shorn crossbred lambs in mixed quality runs sold to an erratic trend from a small number of SA and Victorian trade and export buyers. Restocker and limited feeder competition sourced store summer drop light 1 and 2 score crossbred lambs at generally dearer levels, with the balance of the yarding attracting a weaker trend, with heavy lambs and small pen lots most affected. Also any pens that did not attract a seed free answer when asked by buyers were discounted.
Mt. Gambier’s yarding of shorn and woolly lambs was not immune to the cheaper prices being paid and sold at lower levels from a small number of regular SA and Victorian trade and export buyers. Feeders and restockers also lowered their prices.
Word Count – 260
Light lambs dearer
In a strange sale week store and light lambs were dearer, with all others categories losing ground. Feeders and restockers lifted store and light crossbred lambs prices by $2 to $20, as most sold from $40 to $111/head. Light Merinos to mainly restocker orders sold between $39 and $84/head. Trade weight shorn crossbreds sold from $91 to $128 at prices unchanged to $9/head cheaper, and generally 430¢ to 500¢/kg cwt. Trade weight Merinos to restocker and processor inquiry sold from $90 to $115/head and were averaging around 435¢/kg cwt. Heavy 3 to 5 score shorn crossbred lambs in good quality runs despite the heat, sold mainly from $123 to $150 to be $1 to $16/head cheaper and selling in a 410¢ to 485¢/kg cwt price range.
Sheep prices on the increased numbers sold to fluctuating demand, with medium weight Merinos generally dearer, and most others categories cheaper. The crossbred and Merino ewes sold from $44 to $90, with an isolated sale of Merino heavyweights at $113/head. This tended to leave most carcase weight prices between 175¢ and 275¢/kg. Merino wethers sold from $45 to $113/head and were averaging 270¢/kg cwt.
Word Count - 200
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