Bendigo Sheep Report

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Report Date: 21st September 2026

Total Yarding: 20,340

Commentary

Numbers slowly building to 11,700 lambs and 8600 sheep to take the yarding over 20,000 head this week. The draw included 7200 new season lambs and they tended to be either very good processing types over 24kg cwt, or store lambs. Agents advised that a lot of in-between trade lambs around 20-24kg cwt were being held back to improve on grass, and less of these types did help support the market. There wasn’t a lot of change to new season lamb prices with the main categories still holding a base of 1100c to 1150c/kg cwt. Store and feeder lambs remained very solid and once again there wasn’t a lot available. Old season lamb values performed around quality. The big change in the market today was in the mutton section, with $20 to $40/head pulled off heavy crossbred ewes while trade and light ewes continued to sell strongly. The price average for all lambs sold was $274/head to be within $4 of last week.

A few pens of export weight new season lambs from $350 to a top of $390/head to trend either side of 1100c/kg. The main run of heavy 26-30kg cwt crossbred young lambs $300 to $352, the freshest types averaging $332/head and those with a bit less finish $320/head. Handy trades mostly $255 to $290/head. Decent store lambs still costing $190 to $250/head. Young Merino lambs to $250/head.

Quality of the old season lambs remained very mixed, and buyers picked through on the basis of weight and presentation, long woolled and untidy skinned pens being discounted. Heaviest old lambs to $372/head. The range for old season lambs has now widened to 950c to 1150c/kg depending on size and quality.

The sheep market broke-up a bit, with a noticeable pull-back from buyers on heavy crossbreds at $230 to $275/head. Heavy Merino ewes still got out to $275/head and heavier Merino types, particularly those with wool rebates, held their value much better than crossbred sheep to still average over 800c/kg. Genuine trade and light mutton continued to sell strongly at 840c to over 900c/kg. In dollars there was still a lot of sheep from $200 to $250/per head.

Market reporter: Jenny Kelly