Kirks steer to show success

LONGDALE Merino Stud has marked just its second year of showing at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show by claiming the champion and reserve champion Marchshorn fine-medium wool ram awards.

The Berrimal stud also took out the reserve junior champion fine-medium wool ram prize.

Stud master Rod Kirk said he and wife Nicola had registered the stud four years and entered the show at Bendigo for the first time last year. “We would have been happy to get second ... to take the next step is unbelievable,” he said.

Mr Kirk breeds the traditional horned Merinos and believes that as a heavier cutting sheep, they retained a place in the industry.

“We are aiming to increase the animal’s carcass traits while maintaining the wool cut with a target of 19 micron,” Mr Kirk said.

Longdale Park was also awarded first in three other sections at the show.

Sheep Market

LAMB numbers more than doubled at Bendigo on Monday on the low levels of the past fortnight, reaching 9400 head on the back of last week’s stronger market.

Some very good lines of heavy fed lambs came forward alongside the usual winter mix of plainer and woolly types.

One northern-based exporter rejoined the buying group but was mainly focused on mutton. Demand from the buying fraternity was subdued and prices for trade and export lambs were $20 to $35 per head cheaper, noting Bendigo was one of the stronger performing markets last week.

Light lambs under 20kg cwt varied from $5 to $20 cheaper. Buyers were harsh on any secondary lambs across the sale that lacked fat cover, breed quality or were in long and seedy skins. Just two pens of very heavy export lambs, over 35kg cwt, sold above $180 to a top of $186/head. After this just another five pens made over $160.

Heavy crossbred lambs in the 26-30kg cwt range sold from $135 to $154 and this category lost the most value on a week ago. Heavy trade lambs $121 to $128, and medium trades $108 to a top of $132 for neat shorn pens.

On a carcass basis most processing lambs above 21kg cwt were estimated between 450c to 540c/kg cwt.

The heaviest lamb categories still maintained averages just above 500c/kg, however some trade lamb averages dipped below this benchmark.

Quality in the light lambs under 20kg was very mixed and they varied from $32 to $90 for most.

Another limited yarding of 2500 sheep. Heavy mutton was dearer at $90 to $135/ head. Merino wethers sold to $110, with