Winning pen at Tamworth's Autumn Lamb Show and Sale tops at $250

Thomas Foods International's livestock manager for New England and Central West, Andrew Jackson, who was speaking at the opening of the Tamworth Autumn Lamb Show and Sale, said lamb producers could go "out with some confidence in the market in the winter period".

Mr Jackson's comments seemed to provide some traction in the market, with well-finished trade lambs in the 18 kilogram to 22kg range selling to a dearer trend of $12 a head of the previous week's sale.

Monday's sale, despite incorporating the annual autumn lamb show, only yarded half the numbers of the previous week's sale, with 3735, a fall of 3565 head. The biggest drop in numbers was 3065 lambs, with only 2735 going under the hammer.

Trends varied through the lambs, with young restocker lambs selling on a firm to a slightly cheaper trend despite an improvement in average quality brought about by the lower numbers. Well-finished heavier weights also sold to a dearer trend.

Well-finished heavy and extra heavy-weight old lambs experienced a significantly dearer trend with the top price of $250 for the champion pen of the show.

The pen came from an entry in the heavyweight section with a pen of Poll Dorset second-cross lambs, finished on forage millet, taking the honours.

Winners of the John Korsman Memorial Shield at the third annual Autumn Lamb Show and Feature Sale were John and Helen Rowarth, Kingsgrove, Bithramere, who said the finishing of the lambs on the forage millet was a boon in a poor start to the year, with only 20 millimetres recorded in January and only 12mm so far in February.

Second place in the heavyweight section went to Wahnica Partnership, Loomberah, with a pen of second-cross Abelene Park-blood Poll Dorset lambs.

The partnership took second place in the heavy-weight pens in last September's spring show and sale.

In the middleweight section, first place went to Andrew and Mandy Clein, Mt Pleasant, Attunga, with Robert Carey, Shannon View, Bective, in second spot.

The McRae family, Loomberah, showed the winning pen of light-weight lambs.

It was a quinella for them as they won the medium-weight section on the spring lamb show and sale last September.

Second place went to David and Pam McDonald, Weabonga.

In the pens of lambs described as exotics, Sonia and Wayne Pim, Sorrento, Boggabri, took first place with Aussie White lambs while AD and TH Moules, Baan Baa, were second with their Aussie Whites.