The first sale of 2025 at the Cowra saleyards saw 4,590 lambs penned, marking a busy opening to the year. The quality was solid, with a mix of heavyweights, trade lambs, and store lambs filling the yards.
“All the regular buyers were present, but prices were a little cheaper,” explained Craig Oliver, one half of the MCC Howard Oliver team. “We would like the market to be dearer than what it is. Pre-Christmas, it was really silly dear—processors fell short of lambs, and the market was off its head.”
Trade weight lambs, ranging between 20kg and 24kg, sold from $170 to $218 per head, averaging 820c to 890c/kg cwt. Heavyweight lambs over 24kg fetched $215 to $266 per head, with averages between 850c and 890c/kg cwt. Light restocker lambs were sent back to the paddock, fetching $60 to $156 per head.
The sale also featured heavy hoggets, reaching up to $130 per head.
“It’s just the old supply and demand graft,” said Darcy Howard, the other half of MCC Howard Oliver. “There are more numbers available and more good lambs around.”
In addition to lambs, 1,800 mixed-quality mutton were yarded. Merino ewes sold between $55 and $128 per head, while crossbred ewes ranged from $86 to $173. Most mutton sales were priced between 420c and 470c/kg cwt.
Stock and station agent Jack Harper from Allen Gray and Co described the first day back as “strong to start with,” and his colleague Daniel Wright added with a smile, “Another day in paradise.”
The sale also served as a checkpoint for sheep and goat traceability, with Kiowua Fenner, Director of Sheep and Goat Traceability at the DPI, praising the efforts of the saleyards’ team.
“It’s looking really, really good,” Fenner noted. “The guys have been able to identify those that have got tags, and we’re working with the agents. We’re just going around doing what you call mopping up, making sure that everything is done. The team here has been really supportive and helps us get on with our job.”
Despite the slightly softer prices compared to pre-Christmas highs, the Cowra saleyards opened 2025 on a positive note, with solid quality and strong buyer presence setting the tone for the year ahead.