Agriculture
15 May, 2024
Feed factor in state of prices
LODDON farmers are carefully managing stock numbers and watching the sky for signs of rain, says local agent Chris Nevins. He said while prices for lambs were higher at recent markets, but based on weight they were only returning about $6.20...
LODDON farmers are carefully managing stock numbers and watching the sky for signs of rain, says local agent Chris Nevins.
He said while prices for lambs were higher at recent markets, but based on weight they were only returning about $6.20 a kilogram.
“They are big lambs and many coming from northern areas where there is irrigation and feed,” said Mr Nevins who is also president of the Bendigo Stock Agents’ Association.
“These are lambs that are being fed before sale and they deserve to be getting higher prices.
“For farmers at the moment it is a balancing act, selling before two-tooth stage to make way for new lambs.
“Farmers are not carrying extra stock ... they’re looking to the sky for rain.”
Australia’s sheep stock has increased over the last three years but industry experts predict a decrease by 2.9 per cent to 76,500,000 in 2024
According to the projections from Meat and Livestock Australia, farmers are coming out of the rebuild phase.
During 2020-2022, producer focus on productivity and genetics led to impressive marking rates across the sheep flock.
However, the shift from beneficial weather conditions to average conditions in 2023 led to elevated turnoff of unproductive breeding stock, resulting in a 46.7 per cent lift to sheep slaughter.
According to Stephen Bignell, Manager of Market Information at MLA, as the sheep turnoff will mostly be limited to older, unproductive ewes, this year’s lamb cohort is expected to remain solid, but slightly smaller, than previous years.
“The current resilience of the sheep flock means that high lamb slaughter will have a less intense impact on the national flock size than in previous maintenance periods. Meaning that there will be a decrease in overall flock numbers, but not as dramatic as in comparative years,” Mr Bignell said.