AuctionsPlus has recorded its biggest September for new season lambs in the past decade, with 218,871 head offered across the month.The result edges past the previous September high of 215,900 head set in 2021 and is up 4%, or 8,492 head, on September 2025.
It also marks the fourth time in six years that September offerings have topped 200,000 head, following 2020, 2021 and 2025. For context, the September offering was 88,041 head in 2016 and fell to 52,198 head in 2023.
The strong September has also lifted 2026 to second place for new season lamb offerings year to date, behind only 2021. The 2021 season got off to a faster start, with a much larger August offering doing most of the work before September.
Merino wether lambs were the standout, with 102,475 head offered. That's the highest September tally for the category in the past 10 years and the first time it has cleared 100,000 head.
Merino wethers were up 16% on last September's 88,333 head and made up close to 47% of all new season lambs offered, up from 42% a year earlier.
The category has been volatile over the decade. Just 9,922 head were offered in September 2023, before numbers climbed to 42,791 in 2024 and 88,333 in 2025.
Crossbred lambs were the second-largest category at 83,890 head. While that's down 8% on September 2025, it remains the third-highest September result for crossbreds in the past decade, behind 2025 and 2021 (89,923 head).
First cross ewe lambs posted the sharpest rise, with 11,112 head offered compared with 3,985 last September, close to three times as many.
It's the strongest September for the category since 2021 (18,694 head), though still well short of the 30,266 head offered in September 2020.
Shedding breed lambs moved the other way, falling 44% to 7,248 head. Composite and other breed lambs also eased 43% to 4,421 head.
Strong prices for store lambs are bringing more lambs onto AuctionsPlus. Selling online gives producers a national buyer base, so they can find demand for their lambs whatever the season is doing in their own district.
The other side of the equation is lamb feedlots. More of them are now sourcing lambs online to fill their demand, which adds buyer competition to the platform as spring supply builds.
In the week ending October 7, total AuctionsPlus commercial sheep and lamb listings were 77,300 head, down 29% on the previous week's 109,494 head. Clearance bounced back to 78%, up 15 percentage points, with 60,141 head sold.
The AuctionsPlus Restocker Lamb Indicator (ARLI) eased 10c to 1,329c/kg cwt. The average value over reserve held at $13/head, while the bid rate firmed to 92%.
October and November have historically been the busiest months for new season lambs on AuctionsPlus. With September already at record levels, the next eight weeks will show whether spring supply keeps building or was pulled forward.
September 2026 was the biggest month for new season lambs on AuctionsPlus in at least a decade, with 218,871 head offered.
Merino wether lambs led the lift, topping 100,000 head for the first time and making up nearly half the offering.
Strong store lamb prices and lamb feedlots buying online are drawing more lambs onto the national marketplace.