Bendigo Sheep Report

All data provided by 

Report Date: 4th May 2026

Total Yarding: 7,100

Commentary

Smallest yarding for some time at 5500 lambs and just 1600 sheep, agents suggesting the focus had been on sowing ahead of the forecast rain but also that numbers are declining heading towards winter. It was a plainer and much more mixed quality yarding. Not all buyers attended or operated and the market certainly didn’t gain any momentum from the rain or lower supply. There was gaps in the sale and at least two agencies passed in some handy lines of grainfed Merino lambs. In regards to a price quote the low numbers and drop in quality made it difficult to gain an accurate week-on-week comparison. Price estimates for crossbred lambs remained in the ballpark range of 1000c to 1100c/kg cwt for most, with some neater trade types up to around 1150c/kg. Demand for Merino lambs was more subdued than recent sales.

Heavier lambs $300 to $350/head for most with just one pen higher to market top of $372/head, and noting the heavier lambs tended to be in half penlots today and without the weight and shorter skin presentation of recent sales. The better presented trade lambs $250 to $286/head, and again there wasn’t the real neat domestic pens like last week. Bidding for feeder and lighter lambs bounced around but were softer at $150 to $240/head for most and but going down to $110/head for small mixed lots. Trade Merino lambs to $258/head, lighter types spreading from $114 to $214 in a sale that didn’t show a lot of spark for the Merino breed and some of the bigger lines were passed-in or sold to feed-on.

Sheep with weight stronger in places but lack of numbers made it difficult for accurate comparisons. Big crossbred ewes $230 to $288/head ; better trade sheep $168 to $214/head. Ballpark averages for good mutton 750c to 820c/kg on limited quotes.

Jenny Kelly for MLA