Flooding rain brings lowest lamb offering of Spring

The extremely heavy rainfall that soaked eastern Australia over the past week has contributed to a considerable contraction in online offerings this week. With the lowest weekly commercial offerings since late August, at just under 97,000 head, the logistical issues of moving stock, combined with the immediate concerns around flooding has understandably put selling lambs on the backburner.

A glimpse at the rainfall map for the past week shows just how widespread and heavy the recent event was – ranging to over 150mm in key lamb producing regions. Additionally, the very cool weather that accompanied the rain will continue to frustrate producers who have been awaiting a warmer and sunnier run to add some “kick” to new season lambs.

In the weekly commercial National Lamb Sale, commencing at 1pm EDST, the 61,500 head initially catalogued to be sold are expected to again face strong bidding. After a dull clearance rate two weeks ago, clearance rates jumped back to more normal levels for most categories last week, except for Merino ewe lambs, which continued to have some distance between vendors and buyers.

The numbers of sheep offered in the National Sheep Sale, commencing at 2pm EDST, is back around 25% on last week, at only 35,000 head.

National Sheep Sale:

• Lot 705: 640 Station mated White dorper ewes from Gore, Queensland. The ewes are 7-15 months of age, joined to Amarula White Dorper rams and weigh an average of 36kg liveweight.

• Lot 758: From Cooma, NSW, a total of 800 2-year-old Merino wethers split across two even lines. The wethers are October shorn and weigh an average of 55.9kg liveweight.

• Lot 862: From Balmoral, Victoria, a line of 300 composite ewes of Cashmore Oakley bloodlines. The ewes are June/July ’18 drop, October shorn and weigh an average of 71.6kg liveweight.

• Lot 898: A total of 440 Poll Merino ewes from Jamestown, SA, split across two even lines. The ewes are August 2020 drop, September shorn and weigh an average of 60.6kg liveweight.

• Lot 917: From Tarin Rock, WA, a line of 232 NSM White Dorper ewes. The ewes are aged 2-5 years old and weigh an average of 75.2kg liveweight.

National Lamb Sale:

• Lot 510: 544 Dorper wether lambs from Cunnamulla, Queensland. The lambs are Burrawang dorper bloodlines and weigh an average of 38.9kg liveweight.

• Lot 540: From Bigga, NSW, a total of four lots each consisting of 238 Merino store wether lambs. The lambs are unshorn, 4-5.5 months old and weigh an average of 37.1kg liveweight.

• Lot 597: From Willaura North, Victoria, a total of 960 head of Poll Dorset/Border Leicester/Merino lambs split across two even lots. The lambs are May/June ’21 drop and weigh an average of 38.1kg liveweight.

• Lot 668: A line of 800 White Suffolk/Merino store wether lambs from Kingscote, SA. The lambs are July/August ’21 drop and weigh an average of 33.5kg liveweight.