GOOD demand from meat buyers, feedlotters and producers with stubbles to put lambs onto contributed to a strong first store lamb sale at Naracoorte on Thursday last week.
Pinkerton, Palm, Hamlyn & Steen agent Simon Mulraney said the company felt they had enough lighter lambs from local vendors to hold a stand alone store sale, rather than selling them alongside the heavier lambs at the regular Tuesday market.
He said some runs made $5 to $8 more than they had been on Tuesday's, with store crossbred lambs topping at $161 for 56 July-drop second-cross White Suffolks from Mark A Cooper, Edenhope, Vic.
There were also some quality ewe lambs on offer, with 92 Border Leicester/Merinos from TJ Cross Trust topping at $181.
"We've got lots of good producers that always have big runs of lighter lambs at this time of year," Mr Mulraney said.
"We thought we'd hold a stand alone sale because we were going to have 11,000 lambs and it would be enough to draw a crowd.
"It was the first time we'd done it and it was a very successful sale, with a very good lineup of well-bred feeder lambs."
The top lines of store lambs, about 14 to 18 kilograms, sold between $138 and $155, with lighter types making $109 to $122. Shorn crossbred lambs topped at $148 and generally sold for $131 to $147.
The buying crowd included the trade, feedlotters and producers from Bendigo and the local region.
"There's confidence that in the autumn and winter that the lamb job is going to be very strong," Mr Mulraney said.
"The professional feedlotters or those that buy lambs to fatten on their stubbles know that the lambs here will go home and do a job for them."
A feature of the sale were some large runs of second-cross Poll Dorset lambs.
S&R DiGiorgio & Sons, Lucindale, offloaded 2300 June-drop lambs, with their top line of 331 making $153 and a run of 225 making $147.
Moorhouse Pty Ltd sold 1200 July-drop lambs, with a yard of 309 making $136 and a large run of 455 making $129.
Offering 1160 June/July-drop lambs were SD&ER Shand, Langkoop, Vic, who made $151 for a line of 84, as well as $148 for a line of 151.
Other lines of store lambs to sell well included 52 May/June-drops from RR&CA Middleton, Powers Creek, Vic, which made $154.
JD Cooper sold 89 June/July-drops for $154, while 62 May/June-drops from BT&KM Hutchesson, Maaoupe, made $152.
