The first scanned ewes were offered, 212 good five-year old Romneys scanning 176%, which sold for $151. The store lamb yarding was reduced from last week and a few more locals competed. The top lambs were firm after last week’s fall, as were the better medium lambs which all but sold for the same price as the tops. The day’s top price was $118 for 152 male lambs and 91 woolly ewe lambs sold for $115. The firming trend continued into the lighter lambs and the lighter ewe lambs sold to an unpredictable and fluctuating market which did lift overall, though.
Ewes; SIL, $151; RWR, $95-$120; Lambs; Very heavy, $105-$118, heavy, $103-$114,light, $80.50-$100.
The cattle entries were closed earlier in the week after rain affected last week’s yarding. Traditional steers were firmly priced. One vendor entered all the rising three year steers which sold up to $3.09/kg. Over 300 rising two year steers were offered with 14 Angus and Angus/Hereford cross steers making the day’s top money at $1660, $3.10/kg, with only the Friesian steers back.
Over 200 older bulls came forward, mostly useful Friesians, which sold to steady demand and up to $1470, $2.80/kg for a pen of 20 Friesians and beef bulls over $3.00/kg. Weaner bulls were more of a battle and struggled to keep steady. The high numbers offered were too many for the market and few weaner bulls sold for over $4.00/kg.
Heifers eased a little on big entries with quite a few crossbred heifers pulling it down a bit. Traditional heifers sold well enough and 17 Angus and Angus-Herefords sold for $1255, $2.83/kg but heifers have not reached earlier heights.
After yesterday’s big sale, there was little interest in the weaner steers and heifers.
Cattle: steers; R3, 482-520kg, $1490-$1575, $3.03-$3.09; R2, 313-583kg, $930-$1660, $2.71-$3.24; bulls; R2, 337-525kg, $860-$1470, $2.55-$3.06; R1, 143-270kg, $525-$925, $3.40-$4.03; heifers; R2, 315-442kg, $830-$1255, $2.32-$3.06.
