​Price trends for young lambs and cattle can be closely linked to rain in different areas.
DEARER TREND: David Weidner from BUR with Lyle Burns "Yaralla" Burrumbuttock, who sold 1200 lambs at Corowa to a top of $190.
Both the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) and NLIS showed significant price gains after rain.
Prices have been driven above 700c/kg for trade lambs, as processor demand out strips supply, due to the reduced numbers supplied direct to works.
Young weaner cattle in comparison have gained $200 a head at store markets, while the EYCI lifted 105c in two weeks - the first time on record, with Queensland restockers leading the charge.
As the grass begins to grow in the Riverina and conditions improve somewhat for many producers, lamb supplies surprisingly jumped and carrying with it a lift in prices.
But with the rise in values, better conditioned shorn lambs and well finished grain fed lambs did command premium prices, with some sales of trade lambs jumping $18 in two weeks at Wagga Wagga, NSW.
Agents said the better finished lambs sold to a lot dearer trends than expected on the day, with an average price rise of $14 in a fortnight.
They expect well finished lambs to continue to sell well and anything off the top will still be invited to the party, although we will see a wider price variation on plainer drafts.
Good quality pens of shorn trade lambs regularly sold above 700c/kg carcase weight, with odd sales spiking to 760c/kg. On the day major supermarket buyers pushed the market higher if lambs met specifications.
Heavy lambs were well supplied topping at $261.20, while at Griffith the best price recorded for heavy lambs was $257 with numerous pens selling above $200.
Agents and restockers predict store lambs in Victoria and NSW will stay at similar levels through autumn, unless there was a dramatic change in weather conditions.
In opening markets on Monday, lamb prices continued to hold above 670c/kg for the main types of processors grades. The dearer trend was evident at Dubbo and Corowa in NSW and Bendigo in Victoria.
It follows reports of a shortage of over the hook lambs leading into the Easter holiday break.
Monday's market at Bendigo was quoted by National Livestock Reporting Service as dearer for the best of the trade and heavy lambs, rising $6-$15. Heavy lambs generally sold from $175-$244 to average 672c/kg cwt.
The keenest competition at the sale was for well finished shorter skinned trade lambs, which made from $142-$173 averaging 680c/kg cwt.
Drafts of trade weight Merino lambs sold from $124-$166, with lighter weights making from $75-$139 to average 649-699c/kg cwt.
The sheep market lost the intensity of the previous market, but did hit some highs along the way.
Heavy Merino wethers sold to $220 averaging 554c/kg heavy crossbred ewes reached $214. Trade sheep eased $4 averaging 405-447c/kg cwt.
Numbers were up by 2395 at the Ballarat lamb sale on Tuesday. A total of 44,991 were yarded.
The best heavy lambs made to $240 gaining $1-$4. Trade lambs sold $4 dearer topping at $181 to average 704c/kg. Store buyers pushed lambs to feed-on lamb $3 higher to record a top price of $159. Meanwhile mutton prices dipped $7-$13 averaging 464-540c/kg cwt.