*Originally published Tuesday 8th February 2022 - Updated Friday 11th February 2022
This week’s results for AuctionsPlus commercial sheep and lamb sales were mixed, with an 8% decline in overall offerings, at 91,887 head, largely due to a smaller offering of Merino wether lambs and SIL Merino ewes. With the recent run of dry days, with another fine and hot week forecast, conditions for finishing lambs have finally improved, with feed supplies ample across most regions heading into the final three weeks of summer.
Crossbred lambs made up 23% of all sheep and lambs offered this week, with the 21,217 head selling to a very healthy 88% clearance rate. The average price for the category edged $3 higher on last week, to $159/head, with the low to high range considerably tighter than in previous weeks, ranging from $125 through to $189/head.
Prices for both shedding and Composite/other lamb categories contracted again this week, with shedding lambs easing another $10 on last week’s large decline, to finish the week at $274/head. Of note in recent weeks has been a decline in the clearance rate for shedding lambs, which was at 57% for the 3,198 head offered this week – compared to clearance rates reaching above 85% in the final sales of 2021. Composite/other lambs averaged $16 lower this week, at $160/head, with an 88% clearance rate for the 6,752 head offered.
A smaller offering of Merino wether lambs helped the average price edge higher, averaging $142/head – up $9 on the previous week. First cross ewe lambs registered the largest decline for the six lamb categories this week, dropping $18 on last week, to average $223/head, with a subdued 59% clearance rate for the 9,020 head offered.
Matching the patchy lamb results, weekly averages across the joined ewe lines were also mixed this week. As the largest category, SIL Merino ewes averaged $10 lower on last week, at $264/head, with a 56% clearance rate for the 7,298 head offered. Similarly, SIL first cross ewes dropped $89 on last week, to average $267/head, albeit, with a higher clearance rate.
In contrast to the SIL lines, both SM Merino ewes and SM shedding breed ewes finished higher this week, averaging $243 and $323/head, respectively.
NSM Merino ewes jumped $47 higher this week, to average $267/head – with a healthy 84% clearance rate for the 6,444 head offered. In contrast, NSM Merino ewe hoggets dropped $13 on last week, at $252/head, with the distance between vendors and sellers remaining wide, with only a 38% clearance rate for the 4,151 head offered.
NOTE: Prices as at 5pm, Thursday 10th February 2022
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