Bendigo Sheep Report

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Report Date: 24th February 2025

Total Yarding: 25,587

Commentary

Modest lift in supply with both the lamb and sheep yardings lifting by about 2000 head each for a total offering of 25,587. Stock quality again varied, ranging from a small lead of hard-fed lambs before a rather quick decline into mixed conditioned types off grass. Demand from the buying group was weaker than last Monday, with no company really stepping up to drive the market. Prices were generally $5 to $10/head easier in a fluctuating sale. Buyers did favour shorter skinned lambs over early spring shorn types which are now coming through with longer and sometimes untidy skins.

Heavy export lambs sold from $233 to a top of $282/head and held their value reasonably well with not a lot of 30kg plus lambs across the yarding. Where the market became more fickle was on lambs weighing from 22-30kg cwt, with rates varying from 710c to 780c/kg over the general run, improving to 780c to 840c/kg on the pick of the neat pens in each size category. In dollars the heavy 26-30kg cwt crossbred lambs varied from $200 to $246/head; the heavy trades $190 to $215/head; and the medium trades, 22-24kg cwt, from $160 to $193/head. Well presented tradeweight Merino lambs in reasonable skins received solid support at $150 to $198/head. In the lighter lambs crossbred feeder types with frame from $150 to $160 with agents stepping into some of the leaner trade sized lambs; general run of decent small lambs $80 to $135/head.

Sheep numbers lifted to 8100 yarded and included a lot of smaller lots rather than big lines. The mutton sale generally tracked under 400c/kg, a lot of sheep estimated at 320c to 390c/kg. Some younger Merino wethers still sold above 400c/kg cwt. Heavy Merino ewes in a skin topped at $145, Merino wethers sold to $136 and big crossbred ewes to $138. General run of light to heavy trade sheep from $55 to $110/head. Most secondary ewes lacking frame and weight down to $2/head.

Market reporter: Jenny Kelly