Store lambs hit the market

At Wagga Wagga Elders agent Henry Booth said there had been more store lambs coming through the market, however that was typical of this time of year.

Mr Booth said prices had been a bit uninspiring for some producers who had held lambs over the last year, particularly for those who opted not to finish them.

"Therefore it has been a much easier decision this year to just sell and basically take the price that they are worth now rather than potentially lose any more money on holding that article," he said.

Mr Booth said they were still seeing an adequate number of finished lambs available so as a result there was no great urgency for processors to really push the limits.

"What we are seeing is the lack of quality lambs which are well finished and well presented, so there is a bit of a price point developing there between those better lambs and that has been evident for a little while now," he said.

"We're seeing some pretty healthy and competitive pricing on on hook rates that are often in front of where where we are at the sale yards, which which isn't always the case."

Mr Booth said there would be a supply of good lambs continuing due to decisions made last year, however that would diminish quicker than expected.

"There's no real incentive to put lambs on hard feed at a cost," he said.

"Going forward we will continue to see a price disparity between prime finish lambs verse store types and I hope that that price is enough of an incentive for people to put them on grain or do whatever they need to to bring their lambs up to get that premium."

For some producers who have feed finishing lambs was an option, including for Jesse O'Brien at Biala, near Crookwell.

Mr O'Brien said he had previously sold crossbred lambs as stores however given the market uncertainty this year had decided to go a different way.

He had forward contracts for kill lambs, while the remainder would be shorn and finished to sell in the new year.

Meanwhile in the north of the state Patrick Purtle, Purtle Plevey Manilla, said the quality had dropped off and store lambs had become more prevalent.

Mr Purtle said as soon as the season changed producers would be looking to shear lambs and get them into higher weights, with the margins still there for heavy lambs.

However he said it was all governed by the weather.

"If it can rain people have options but if it doesn't they're forced into having to sell lighter ones."