9 October 2020 - FROM THE ARCHIVES

Lamb quality and prices on the rise

Numbers reduced as agents offered 5,500 lambs at the SA Livestock Exchange this week.

Quality was better than the previous week's offering, with competition generally stronger throughout the sale with an extra processor from Victoria active.

Extremely light young lambs improved by $10 ‑ $15 as they sold from $78 ‑ $130, light trade weights gained $5 as they sold from $125 ‑ $145 while medium weights lifted $5 to sell from $140 ‑ $178/head.

Heavy weights also gained up to $10 and sold from $172 ‑ $186, with the few extreme heavy weights up by as much as $20 as they sold from $190 ‑ $212/head.

Strong sheep prices also continued, with 1500 head yarded.

In a better quality offering, light ewe mutton sold from $94 ‑ $128, while heavy weights made from $160 ‑ $192/head.

Medium weight wethers sold from $140 ‑ $176/head.

Cattle quality was again very mixed, with prices generally on par with the previous sale for type and condition, with restockers bidding past the 400c/kg mark to gain supply.

Vealer steers sold from 390c to a sale top of 446c/kg, while vealer heifers sold from 378 ‑ 404c/kg.

Yearling steers to processors sold from 358 ‑ 402c, as light yearling heifers to restockers sold from 266 ‑ 342c with feeders bidding to 408c/kg.

Grown steers of mostly heavier weights sold from 340 ‑ 388c (down 7c/kg) and reflecting the quality on offer, grown heifers eased 15c/kg to make from 300 ‑ 360c/kg.

A small offering of mostly heavy cows sold from 240 ‑ 280c/kg.