SUCKER prices are threatening to push heavy lamb’s hot streak out of the spotlight as the market pushes to NSW highs.
Most farmers sending in their new season lambs to the yards can recall when $20 for sucker lambs was good money.
But at Griffith last Friday, a pen of 38 second-cross lambs made $165.50 to set a new State sucker record.
The five-month-old lambs (by Deepdene Poll Dorset rams from first-cross ewes) were offered by Bill and Betty Clark, son, Malcolm, and his wife, Eliza, “Rivington”, Ardlethan.
The pasture fed lambs – which averaged 60 kilograms (liveweight) and had an estimated carcase weight of 27kg sold to Michael Fitzsimmons, Southern Meats, Goulburn, who bought the $200 (then record) lambs at Wagga Wagga three weeks ago.
The Clarks sold another run of 101 same description lambs for $160 to the same buyer, while their third draft of 69 head made $156.50 and were purchased by Tatiara, Bordertown, South Australia.
“It is the most we have ever sold suckers for,” Malcolm Clark said.
“We had weighed them and we knew what we were sending so I had hoped they would sell well.”
They still have another 500 sucker lambs to sell from the early drop in coming months.
Selling agent Tim Hutchinson, Breed and Hutchinson, Leeton, who has sold lambs at Griffith for 12 years, said he never imagined sucker lambs would bring that sort of money.
“It is not before time though,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“The Clarks do a great job on their lambs and they had to feed ewes during the drought so it’s good to see a nice return.”
About 4100 new season lambs were yarded at Griffith and sold from $117 to $165.50 to average $146.70.
Prices for sucker lambs also hit a high note at Wagga Wagga where sucker lambs sold to $160.
The pen of 147 Dorset-White Suffolk autumn-drop lambs were offered by David and Margaret Trethowan, “Wentworth” Cookardinia.
The lambs, estimated to weigh 23.5kg (carcase weight), were purchased by T. and R. Pastoral, Murray Bridge, SA.
Selling agent, Tony Luff, Hamilton Luff Burton, Wagga Wagga, said there was no way he would have predicted sucker lambs would make $160.
But he said as the year progressed and lambs had made the elusive $200 anything had become possible on the market.
Mr Luff, who has been selling sheep at Wagga for 31 years, recalls when the budget for sheep and lambs for the year was $28.
“It is an excellent turnaround for farmers to make that much on sucker lambs and a good shot in the arm for them,” he said.
He said most suckers were making between $115 and $130.
Mr Luff said the wet weather and lack of sunshine had slowed up the amount of suckers coming onto the market.
“A lot of lambs are not ready for market as quick as they should be at the moment and from now on we will struggle to find numbers of well-finished lambs,” he said.
The 16,000 new season lambs penned at Wagga last week sold from $77.20 to $160 to average $109.49.
Other centres also reported strong sales of new season suckers with Cowra’s offering ranging from $81 to $154 to average $115.39; Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange, made from $88 to $148 to average $118.67; and at Shepparton, Victoria, they sold from $74.60 to $153.80 to average $130.67.
Meat and Livestock Australia data indicates about 24 per cent more new season lambs have been yarded in the past two months than in the same period in 2009.
MLA reports that in addition to the increased turnoff, the weight and quality of the 2010 new season lambs have been better than during the same period last year.
Trade weight (18kg to 22kg cwt) and heavy lambs (more than 22kg) have accounted for the majority of young lambs sold since July.
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