BIG numbers of 50,450 sheep and lambs went under the hammer at the Wagga market on Thursday.
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Meat and Livestock Australia market reporter, Leann Dax said it was another large winter offering of lambs with the bulk weighing more than 25kg cwt and a large portion were grain assisted.
Trade lambs were in short supply and quality was either very good or on the leaner side. In total, there were 1070 new season lambs.
There was a full field of buyers at the rail with domestic buyers noting the demand for lamb had intensified due to the lock downs.
The market rallied over all classes with domestic buyers having to step up onto heavy and extra heavy categories to secure supply.
Trade lambs were keenly sought with major processors upping the ante and having to operate across the 24kg to 27kg weight ranges to secure supplies.
Lambs weighing 22 to 24kg improved $10/head and averaged 980c/kg cwt.
New-season lambs sold from $214 to $250/head.
Merino trade lambs sold to the usual group of buyers and prices lifted $4 to $9/head to average 820c/kg cwt.
Restockers and feedlots were very selective paying from $148 to $180/head.
In the heavier lambs, the usual field of export buyers were in attendance along with strong major domestic processor competition.
Heavy lambs weighing 24kg to 26kg sold $8/head dearer to average 958c/kg cwt.
Lambs weighing 26 to 30kg ignited the bidding with prices $23 dearer, averaging 936c, and the largest extra heavy lambs over 30kg attracted all export buyers with most sales making above $305/head to average 885c/kg cwt.
Extra-heavy Merino lambs averaged 800c/kg cwt. It was another mixed quality yarding of mutton, with heavy sheep in bigger numbers.
Not all buyers attended or operated across heavy or trade categories. Heavy ewes sold to stronger bidding and buying competition intensified for the heaviest runs. Heavy ewes made from $183 to $260/head to average 635c/kg cwt.
Heavy Merino ewes over 30kg sold from $200 to $243/head and averaged 646c/kg cwt. Trade sheep were mostly shorn with very few in longer skins and the bulk sold from $141 to $174/head.