PRIME lambs reached a new national record of $318 today at Griffith, where multiple pens broke the previous record of $305.20 made at Wagga this week.
Mark Tabain, Leeton, was the lucky vendor that secured the top spot with his pen of 58 second-cross Poll Dorset lambs sold through agent Spencer and Bennett Yenda Producers, for $318.
The buyer was major exporter, Thomas Foods International, with lambs estimated to be about 38-kilograms (carcase weight).
Spencer and Bennett agent Tim Hutchinson, Leeton, said Mr Tabain had been topping or nearly topping the Griffith sales for the past three months with his grain-fed lambs.
“We thought they were up there, they were really well presented out of a feedlot,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“It is a good reward for those vendors that have put a lot of time and money into their lambs.”
The extra-heavy lambs were fed in Mr Tabain’s feedlot where they were finished on a grain ration.
They were purchased in March out of the Northern Tablelands.
But it wasn’t just Mr Tabain’s pen of firsts that broke the previous standing record. His other pen of seconds sold for $314 while his pen of thirds sold for $317.50.
In total the 202 lambs sold by Mr Tabain averaged $316.60 per head, an increase of $12.80 on the previous record of $305.20 held at Wagga.
Mr Hutchinson said these weren’t the vendor’s last run of lambs, he had more to come.
New season lambs at Griffith also broke records, with a pen of 31 new season suckers sold for $260.
Widgelli vendors Harvey and Kath Wallace, sold the lambs through Spencer and Bennett Yenda Producers.
Also today, Paul Chambers from Chambers Pastoral, Cowra, sold a pen of 82 suckers for $250 through agents Norman C. Bellamy, at Cowra and bought by Junee Abattoir.
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