THERE was a stronger lamb and mutton sale across a modestly bigger yarding of 27,430 head - up 4500 on a week ago - at Bendigo on Monday. 
The major supermarkets and a key southern exporter were absent but the lamb market was still able to post gains of $5 to $15 across most grades. 
The mutton market lifted $10 to $20/head for a significant rally off the low levels of recent weeks.  
The big mover was light lambs which gained $8 to $15, pushed up by restockers who went harder against processors wanting MK kill lambs. 
The better bred lines of light lambs mostly made between $50 to $80,  while the very smallest types rarely went under $20 in this sale. 
The bigger framed 16-18kg crossbred store  lambs  averaged $74 to the paddock and the 12-16kg lines $60 to restockers. The average cost on a weight basis for light lambs went above 400c/kg cwt.  Not a lot of heavy prime lambs again and anything showing weight and fat cover received the best support. 
The heaviest suckers, 26-30kg cwt,  $135 to $177, averaging over 500c and some pens above 550c. Trade lambs also averaged dearer but were erratic, some very good sales and others not much better than a week ago. The 24-26kg cwt young lambs $123 to $145, and the 22-24kg $102 to $136 to average $115 at a ballpark 480c/kg cwt.  
Shorn young lambs sold particularly well, a northern based exporter buying pens with frame to put on feed at $90 to $115. A pen of heavy shornies up around 28-29kg cwt topped the section at $164.  
There was a much stronger vibe amongst processors in the sheep run despite not all exporters operating. Sheep quality was also very good with large lines of heavy mutton available. 
Prices lifted $10 to $20/head with Merino sheep recording the best gains. 
Most sheep sold between $30 to $50/head with heavy Merinos in a skin out to $60. On a carcass basis there was still some extra heavy crossbred ewes under 100c/kg, but most mutton went from 120c to 200c/kg for market averages of 140c to 160c/kg cwt over the mains.
SUCKERS
DS & EG Morton Benalla (68) $162. M & J Ellis Benalla  (67) $154. AP & DM Muller Lurg (111) $153. Potters Hillside Boort (26) $147. KL & P Mitchell Devenish (23) $145.  RW & AL Baker Dingee (55) $138. Moorilim Past Co Meipoll (91) $136. AL & GJ Lloyd Stuart Mill (29) $136. DJ & SL Lloyd Stuart Mill (36) $135. J,S & W Brown Echuca (63) $133. KI & ML Peat Echuca (63) $125. K & S Canfield  Salisbury West (53) $115.
SHORN SUCKERS
Burnewang Nth Past Rochester (71) $164. M Seeks  Appin Sth (88) $124.
CROSSBRED LAMBS
Ian Angove Echuca (25) $160.
CROSSBRED EWES
K & S Canfield Salisbury West (46) $40. EJ,GJ & JH Chambers Leichardt (22) $37. 4G P/Ship Yea (122) $35.  Dan Pelly Baddiginnie (28) $34.
MERINO EWES
AK Collins P/L Bridgewater (219) $59. RW & AL Baker  Dingee (191) $55. WL & PJ Johnson Myola East (43)  $54.  RL & AH Rollinson Mysia (163) $52. P & T Colvin Powlett Plains (66) $50. K & S Canfield Salisbury West (46) $47.  JC & LJ Younghusband Powlett Plains (142) $46. JF & DL Gibson & Son Borung (39) $45. G & D Freemantle Eddington (31) $44. CA & TR Borger Colbinabbin (50) $44.
Order of sales next week: Nevins, Elders, McKean McGregor, Nuttall, Nutrien.
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