Lamb price trends cool | Market Murmurs

Wilks and McKean Livestock and Property director Joe Wilks, Wagga Wagga, said it's that time of year when the market starts to come back a bit.

"There's plenty of supply and the processors are also filling their contracts readily with those lambs being sold direct," he said.

As quickly as a contract comes up, it's being filled, he added.

"The first of the very early new season lambs are also starting to trickle in."

He said most of these suckers were supermarket type lambs, but some had been on the heavier side.

Mr Wilks said the quality of the lambs had been excellent in the past week and included a good supply of heavy lambs.

"The producers have done a really good job with their lambs this year and it's a shame the market has come back a bit and they are not being rewarded as well for their efforts," he said.

Christie and Hood director Paul Alchin, Dubbo, speculated that it's a combination of many factors affecting the market at the moment to cause uncertainty and weaken prices.

"It's not really clear to us exactly what's driving the market trend at the moment, but the processors may have more insight," he said.

"What we are seeing is the producers doing an excellent job on their lambs, particularly for the heavy lambs.

"Last year many of those lambs were finished on grain, but this year most are pasture or crop finished, so if you are looking for a silver lining then that's a small one."

Dubbo saleyard penned its first of the new season lambs on Monday, but Mr Alchin said the one or two pens would not have had a negative influence on the lamb market.

Meanwhile, domestic processors were keen to bid on pens freshly shorn at Corowa lamb sale on Monday.

However, even with this competition, prices continued to slip with another correction of as much as $20 a head in place across trade weights, according to Meat and Livestock Australia.

Light and medium trades sold from $148 to $176 and heavy trade, 22 to 24kg, made from $174 to $194, averaging 769 cents a kilogram (carcase weight).

AUSTRALIAN Livestock and Property Agents Association is calling on all agents and staff to showcase that special image which depicts their profession and enter its photo competition.

"We are asking you to share that remarkable photo and gain industry credit for your work," ALPA president Peter Baldwin said.

"All we ask for are photos which reflect the life of an agent. It might be taken across the paddocks, at saleyards, a shearing shed, sheep or cattle yards, mustering, drafting pens, transporting, a wool sale, as long as it is agency related."

The overall winner will receive a $300 gift voucher to be spent with Akubra, Allflex, Quadrant AgTours, RM Williams or Tenterfield Saddler.

To enter the ALPA photo competition, email your captioned photos with the subject "ALPA photo comp" to comms@alpa.net.au.

Have you signed up to The Land's daily newsletter? Register below to make sure you are up to date with everything that's important to NSW agriculture.