Lamb prices keep farmers smiling

Most pens go for between $145 and $175 at auction

Farmers with stock to sell should have been smiling in September as prices continued to rise.

The sharp rise in prime lamb prices was particularly noticeable with prices almost reaching the $200 mark last week.

PGG Wrightson agent and auctioneer Neil Common said prices were "very solid" all month with most pens going for between $145 and $175.

PGG Wrightson agent and auctioneer Neil Common said lamb prices were "very solid" all month.

"Prices are higher than last year without reaching that $200 tipping point."

"For sheep farmers the market is as good as it's been for five or six years and prices are strong for everything except wool."

The big prices brought big yardings as lambs near the time they cut their adult teeth and lose value.

Store lambs also rose and rose although longer-term lambs reached a plateau at the middle of the month.

However, most pens made between $125 and $155 all month while lesser types made up to $120. Again the yardings increased as the prices rose.

Mr Common said the demand was from contract finishers needing to fill contracts.

Mr Common said some of them were paying $15 to $20 a head above schedule price and some of them could lose money.

Ewes with lambs at foot went up and down as many more of them than usual were sold. Some of the regular vendors have yet to sell their surplus stock so the yardings should remain up.

Pens with smaller lambs were cheaper but any shorter-term, terminal, lambs attracted a premium.

Some of the pens reflected big lambing percentages and Mr Common said some farmers who had had a good lambing and could be selling older ewes to make room for the extra lambs.

Prime ewe prices eased off toward the end of the month as the number on offer also fell towards the end of the month. Most of them made between $105 and $130 a head.

In the cattle rostrum there was renewed interest in prime cattle. Mr Common said meat companies were running short of supply. Mush of the month's offering was cull cows. The heavy animals made more than $2.30/kg.

The store cattle market followed the prime market up, which Mr Common said was unusual as the grass demand caused by lush spring growth had yet to arrive.

"Grass growth has been erratic. We need some rain and sustained warmth without too much wind to dry it all out again."

Mr Common said things were looking good for farmers at the moment with good lambing percentages and good survival rates except in some higher western hill country where heavy rain killed a number of lambs.

"For sheep farmers the market is as good as it's been for five or six years and prices are strong for everything except wool. The beef market is still riding the high of the last year or so and farmers should be feeling confident."