A large rise in lamb supply greeted the regular buying group with some extra competition coming from local restockers during the market, as the new season young lamb selling period starts to build momentum, with the majority of the penning now spring young lambs.
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Quality varied from very good down to average, with most lambs in good order with some lighter lambs ideal for the store buyers. Lamb prices showed a slightly stronger trend as heavy lambs sold from firm to $2 dearer, medium
Trade weight lambs sold $2 to $4/head higher especially for the good quality. Light lambs sold $2 to $5/head dearer due to the restocker activity. Restockers were busy at times and paid from $108 to $142 for store lambs and from $84 to $111/head for lighter lots. They also purchased a line of well-bred first cross ewe lambs from $111 up to $146/head.
Light weight 2 score young lambs sold from $71 to $112 and light trade weights 2 scores sold from $106 to $120/head, averaging 620c/kg cwt. Medium trade weight 3 score new season lambs sold from $125 to $148, averaging 609c, while heavier 3 and 4 score trade drafts made from $144 to $159/head, averaging 604c/kg cwt. Heavy weight 3 and 4 score lambs made from $156 to $169 and extra heavy 4 score lambs sold from $168 to the market top of $193/head, they averaged between 595c to 600c/kg cwt.
The limited number of old lambs sold to more demand as the medium trade weights sold from $105 to $125/head. Heavy trade weight old lambs and heavy weights made from $128 to $167 and the heavy hoggets reached $146/head. The sheep offering also lifted, with most of the usual processors present.
They operated with more demand for the lines of mostly medium to heavy weight mutton off shears in good condition. Prices for the medium trade and the heavy weight sheep were from $5 to $10/head dearer as the light weight mutton sold unchanged. Restockers were also active, buying close to full wool Merino wethers from $100 to $125, crossbred ewes at $68,$108 and $130 and Merino ewes from $86 to $100/head.
Light weight 1 and 2 score sheep sold from $60 to $73,medium trade weight 2 and 3 scores sold from $77 to $94/head with the Merino ewe mutton averaging 385c/kg cwt.
Heavy Merino wethers sold to $103, while the medium weights made $83 to $93 and a few pens of heavy crossbred wethers made from $110 to $135/head. Heavy crossbred 3 score ewes were from $88 to $106 as they averaged 340c/kg cwt, extra heavy crossbred 4 and 5 score ewes made $93 to $119 and heavy rams of all breeds made between $46 to $75/head.
ORDER OF SALE
Cattle, October 16: 1 TB White & Sons Pty Ltd; 2 Charles Stewart; 3 HF Richardson; 4 Elders Ltd; 5 Landmark
Sheep, October 17: 1 TB White & Sons Pty Ltd; 2 Charles Stewart; 3 HF Richardson; 4 Elders Ltd; 5 Landmark