Tamar lamb sale shows confidence

WELCOME to 2025 and may it be a healthy and happy one for all. 

On Wednesday at the 23rd Tamar Valley lamb sale Elders yarded 6,189 crossbred lambs and the quality was very good with average weights being 3-4 kg heavier than last year. 

Two major exporters bought the top lambs for $158 to $200/ head and in total secured 941 lambs. 

Victorian buyers (Bendigo area) bought 2,962 lambs while most of the local interest came from Northern Midlands and North West Coast. 

The biggest lambs made $158 to $200, medium weights $122 to $162 and the few small lambs $50 to $106/head. 

This result just goes to show the confidence in the lamb job and this has been added to by forward contracts for February at 800c to 830c/kg carcass weight available and I am hearing that these offers have been very well received. 

It will be interesting to see where the March and April forward contract prices will sit because I am guessing that processors and exporters are hoping that supply will outstrip demand sometime during the Autumn. 

While still on sheep, I was surprised to see how low Australia’s wool production has slipped with figures showing that the number of sheep shorn this year will be the lowest for over 100 years. 

We all knew that wool producers were looking at other enterprises but I was very surprised that production was heading as low as the figures indicate. 

Interstate cattle markets opened the New Year on a high and at Wagga on Monday most prices improved 30c to 40c/kg from the pre-Christmas sales. 

This was driven by feeders and restockers with feeders buying 500-600 kg steers for 375c to 399c while heavy heifers made 340c to 382c/kg. 

The export market improved around 10c with heavy beef cows making 290c to 306c/kg liveweight. 

Victorian weaner sales are in full swing with most in central and northern Victoria so far with the major Western District sales being held next week.

At Wodonga during the week feedlots and restockers dominated with big numbers going into Northern NSW and Queensland and of course some stayed local. 

Weaners steers (200-330 kg) made $1,160 to $1,470, steers weighing 330-400 kg made $1,300 to $1,800 (av.427c) and heavier (over 400 kg) averaged $1,782 or 412c/kg liveweight. 

Over in the heifer section most averages sat between 340c and 390c/kg. 

Certainly great results, it will be interesting to see what happens next week at Hamilton and Casterton where obviously the freight bill will be higher.