Suffolks set new lamb price record at Powranna

At one of the smallest mid-year yardings of livestock ever seen at Powranna saleyards on Tuesday, NobleLee Suffolk Stud at Campania has set a new Tasmanian record of $430 for a pen of Suffolk lambs.

While demand from processors was high, it was the quality and weight of the black-face sheep that led to the new benchmark.

Breaking his own record of $422 last year, owner Brett Stokes said he knew this week’s offering of 24 lambs was of similar quality, but he was still surprised when his transporter called to give him the good news.

“We made sure we were in the first pen in the front row and buyer TQM would have seen that they were a good lot of lamb with plenty of weight about them,” Mr Stokes said.

“If they had gone over the hook they could have made even more but for a cracking lot of lambs with plenty of meat and muscle I was happy with that.

“Of course the rise in fuel and fertiliser prices and cartage costs means you’re spending a lot more on the farm to produce these results too.”

Brett said he had already kept back plenty of even better stock for his stud despite ongoing dry conditions in the south-east.

“I have a strict rule with young sheep that they have to meet the standards set and be exactly what I want to remain at the stud - you have to have good rams but also good ewes for the right balance,” he said.

Powranna had a light yarding of just 800 sheep and 100 cattle with Nutrien Livestock agent Warren Johnson saying the RiverLea offering was a pen of standout lambs that deserved a standout price.

“We don’t often see that kind of weight and quality in the yard, especially compared to mainland sales, but these would have matched any lambs in the country,” he said.

“Those lambs would have been 40kg dressed with the next biggest lambs closer to 26kg - that $11-$12 per kilo can really add to the per head price,” Warren said.

“Farmers who have held on for this long are definitely being rewarded in what has overall been an exceptional season.”

“On top of that numbers are extremely quiet, which is a sign of the times as most breeders elected to take the good prices early and now we’re running out of lambs which puts a lot of pressure on local abattoirs.”

“There’s going to be a real gap in the market until closer to Christmas.”

Warren said that it would take a hot and dry spring to see lambs hit the market any earlier.