A small offering of just over 700 store lambs head strengthened to record levels, with all bar a few small lines selling in excess of $4.00/kg live weight. No main lines of lambs fell below $110 and good mixed sex sold for $130-$152, with a small number of medium types at $119-$143. Three small lines of ewe lambs ranged from $110 to $149.
At those levels the store lambs had a lot of prices in common with the prime, which was the biggest section at 1300 and heavy lambs did ease $5 per head. These traded at $180-$189, but the bottom line lifted and very few could be purchased for less than $140. Most of the lambs fell in a $150-$189 range.
Results were similar for the prime ewe section. Once again there was a wide variety of ewes offered within the yarding and prices generally started at $100 for mixed age and worked their way quite evenly up to $216. Most 2-tooth ewes sold for $147-$168.
The cattle sale was small but mighty, with prime cattle firmly front and centre. Lines of high yielding exotic steers and heifers were hot property as cattle like these are few and far between.
Charolais-cross steers and heifers sold to $3.01-$3.11/kg if they were 600kg and heavier. Angus steers, 454-590kg, traded at $2.98-$3.07/kg. Other breeds of heifers also sold on a lifting market as Belgium Blue, 545-595kg, returned $2.87-$2.98/kg, and local trade Hereford-Friesian, 410-433kg, $2.70/kg.
Cow numbers were very limited but prices lifted to levels not seen in close to a year. Three Hereford, 593-795kg, reached $2.28-$2.38/kg.
Just 62 store cattle were penned and were mainly tidy up jobs, though there were a few stand out lines throughout. Five R2 Angus steers, 425kg, made $2.96/kg, and two heifers, 333kg, $2.82/kg.
A small R1 section represented a solid little market, as Angus-Hereford steers, 169-208kg, sold for $675-$715, with the lighter line close to $4.00/kg. Angus-cross heifers, 198-240kg, also sold well at $645-$770, $3.21-$3.26/kg.
