“The killable lambs were really chased up at the top end but, right through, activity was very strong,” group general manager Ed Marfell said.
Competition was strongest in the 15kg to 18kg kill weight range (36kg to 40kg live weight) and the top price was $186 a head for a pen of 234 lambs sold on account of Manahune Partnership.
Another pen sold at $184.
“They’re not little numbers and it’s in the context that these farms have come through two and half years of drought up to last year so you’ve still got low breeding ewe numbers.
“It’s the first time in three years they’ve had grass to feed the lambs.”
Across Tuesday’s Glenmark sale and at Port Levy on Banks Peninsula on Wednesday prices were on average about $30 to $35 a head higher than last year.
Top prices for primes at Port Levy were $164 to $165.
Store lambs sold strongly at Glenmark with an average in the $3.20/kg to $3.30/kg range. The 28kg to 30kg lambs sold from $95 to $100.
“Most people were comfortable buying there and occasionally stretching to $105,” Marfell said.
Lighter lambs made $70 to $80. The stores were mostly bought for Canterbury farms still with plenty of feed though there were signs of a start of some drying-off in North Canterbury.
Some lambs were headed for Otago and Southland.
The big bonus was in the mutton price.
About 1500 ewes were on offer across three of the Glenmark farms with a top price of $183 and light ewes down to $104. The average on one line was $160 a head and $143 on another.
“That’s tremendous money,” Marfell said.
“We know those prices won’t survive as more ewes come on stream and contracts are due to wind back at the end of November but all-in-all it’s very good.”
There were few ewe lambs on sale, pointing to flock rebuilding.
Close to 15,000 lambs were traded at Glenmark with the sale the big one pre-Christmas for Hazlett Rural, so a good guide to sector confidence.
With a better growing season than last year weights were up and with the schedule being about $1/kg higher, the view was positive.
Farmers were getting good price indications and confident of working out margins given it did not take a long time to fatten lambs, Marfell said.
“Last year the schedule went from $6kg to $5 and the signs this year are it might go from $7 to the low $6.’’
Many of the stores would be gone from farms by Christmas; for others, finishers might be looking for the Easter-trade money.
