DOLLARS a head prices for some lines of lambs have shot to record prices at saleyards in the past week.
A pen of extra heavy lambs sold for $260 a head at Forbes saleyards on Tuesday. This pen currently holds the national record price, but with competition from buyers so strong, there may be more high prices to come.
The Forbes lambs were sold by Matthew and Joanne Randall, Trundle, and were second-cross Poll Dorsets.
Tim Mackay from Forbes Livestock Agency Company estimated the lambs would have tipped the scales at about 38 kilograms (carcase weight). He said the pen of 200 lambs were sold to JBS Bordertown.
A pen of extra-heavy lambs also grabbed the spotlight last Thursday when it sold for $258.20 a head at Wagga Wagga. At the time that was the highest price ever paid for lambs in the nation.
The lambs were sold by Jeff Crawford, “Pine Grove,” Temora, and Riverina Livestock Agent auctioneer James Tierney estimated the grain-finished second-cross Poll Dorset lambs weighed about 40 kilograms (carcase weight).
Dubbo’s market on Monday was also dearer and a line of extra heavy lambs sold for $253.60 a head.
The lambs were sold by the Kerin family, “Happy Valley”, Tomingley, and that price was a record for the Dubbo saleyards. Colin Hood, Christie and Hood, Dubbo, said he hadn’t seen prices reach that high in the 55 years he had been operating at the Dubbo saleyards.
The Shanks family, Dubbo, also had their best sale ever, selling a draft of 215 lambs for $251.60 a head.
It’s the highest price 94-year-old Jack Shanks had ever received at the Dubbo saleyards. Jack, along with son Robert and grandson Ben, operate Shanks Farms.
Lambs at Tamworth sold to $253 on Monday which was also a record price for the Tamworth saleyards. The lambs were sold by Stuart Steiger, “Tarakan”, Tamworth, through Ian Morgan Livestock, Tamworth.
The Land’s Trade Lamb Indicator was also higher again this week hitting 670 cents a kilogram (carcase weight). That’s now dearer than at the same time last year and more than 70c/kg higher than at the same time last month.