STORE lamb prices continued a downward trend at last Wednesday's sheep sale at Warwick, with plainer types selling for about $20 a head less on average than the previous week's sale.
In the yarding of 1235 head, 696 lambs and 539 grown sheep were up for bids and most of the usual buyers were in attendance.
However, some exporters didn't attend last Wednesday's sale causing mutton prices to also ease.
Light-weight store lambs made up the majority of last Wednesday's yarding with only a limited offering of trade and heavy lambs up for bids.
Despite making up the minority of the yarding, well-finished heavier lambs sold to firm or higher prices, while plainer lambs made up the lower end of the category, in some cases selling from $17 a head to $32/hd less.
Overall, the 628 young lambs on offer sold from a low of $28 to a category high $218, while the majority sold for $143, which was down about $20 from the previous sale.
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It was a similar story in the wethers category, which recorded a yarding of 61, up from 48 head at the previous sale.
However, unlike the overall yarding, prices were slightly down from the previous week's sale with most pens ranging from $40 to a category-high of $180, which was up from the previous sale.
The absence of some export buyers caused the category's average price to dip from $142 to about $61.
Ewes were the next most highly represented category with 246 head on offer, but it too also took a hit in terms of prices.
A good draft of ewes from a local producer was a highlight of the section, selling from $165 to $184 in the process.
However, the cheaper end of the category was represented by a pen which sold for $10, while most ewes sold for about $75 on average, which was down about $10 from the previous week.
Heavier hoggets were snapped up by wholesalers for a top of $183 to average $159, while the category reached a top of $198.
Much like the rest of the sale, prices for hoggets also took a dip ranging from a $90 low to the $198 top to average $114, which was back from an average of $131 the week before.
The prices of the 68 old lambs on offer helped buck the trend and strengthened from the previous week's sale, selling from $120 to $198 and averaging $161, which was about $3 higher than the last sale.
A yarding of 56 rams rounded out last Wednesday's sale, ranging from a $50 low to a sale-high $315, to average about $196, which was well up on the previous week.