A line of extra heavy weight lambs set, what is believed to be a saleyard record, at Dubbo’s weekly sheep and lamb sale on Monday, selling for $253.60 a head.
The price is believed to be a record for the selling centre. The national record for saleyard lamb prices was set at Wagga Wagga today, with lambs selling for $276.20/head. Wagga Wagga broke the previous record only a week ago, when they sold a draft for $256.80. Forbes then topped them on Tuesday, selling a line for $260/head.
The lambs at Dubbo were sold by Christie and Hood, Dubbo on account of the Kerin family, “Happy Valley”, Tomingley.
Colin Hood, Christie and Hood, Dubbo hasn’t seen prices reach that high in the 55 years he has been operating at the Dubbo saleyards.
“I’ve been around the saleyards since 1963 and I haven’t seen it that high,” he said. “It’s not common to see lambs like that in a season like this.”
L-R: Kate Shanks; Tim Wiggins, Christie and Hood, Dubbo; Robert and Jack Shanks, Shanks Farms, Dubbo.
The Shanks family, Dubbo came close to setting the record, selling a draft of 215 lambs for $251.60/head.
It’s the highest price 94-year-old Jack Shanks has ever received.
Jack, along with son Robert and grandson Ben, operate Shanks Farms and run 4000 crossbred ewes.
“It’s the best price we have ever seen,” Robert said. “We wish we had some more in today to sell.”
The draft averaged more than $7/kg according to Robert’s estimations.
It’s been a tough season for the Shanks family, who have bought grain in for the first time.
“It’s the driest it’s ever been in our lifetimes.”
Monday’s sale drew for 45,500 head however the forecast of rain had some vendors hanging on to their drafts.
A total of 40,500 head were yarded, with 22,600 of those being lambs.
All categories trended dearer, however the biggest improvement was in the extra heavy weight lambs which sold up to $20/hd better than last week’s sale.
Light weight lambs to the processors were firm to $5 dearer with the 12 to 18kg lambs selling from$59 to $124/head.
Trade lambs were $11 to $15 dearer with the 18 to 23kg lambs selling from $108 to $176/head, to average between 685c and 700c/kg carcass-weight.
Heavy weight lambs were up to $20 dearer with the 22 to 26kg 4 scores selling from $164 to $217,while the extra heavy weights sold from $220 to $254/head, to average between 700c and 730c/kg cwt.
Merino lambs were $8 to $13 dearer, with the trade weights selling from $118 to $161, while heavy weight Merinos sold to $201/head.
Lambs to the feeders were $6 dearer, selling from $106 to $122/head. Hoggets sold to $185/head.