Lambs stuck at 40kg as cheap barley emerges as finishing solution
Lamb producers in western Victoria and South Australia cannot reach market weight with pasture alone, but cheap barley offers a solution.
Lamb producers across western Victoria and South Australia are stuck. Despite a good spring, their lambs are stopping at 40 to 49 kilograms and refusing to add more weight.
The culprit is unexpected: good grass cover last winter stopped clover from establishing, so the pastures lack the nutrition lambs need to finish. The sheep are running to wool and losing condition.
Processors report tight supplies and strong prices for the few slaughter-weight lambs reaching market. But grain-fed finishing could change the equation.
With a big harvest coming and barley forecast to drop sharply in price, producers who already own lambs see a chance to buy grain cheaply and finish them for slaughter. Livestock agents and animal health suppliers report a surge in enquiries about grain feeding.
- 40-49 kilograms
- Target weight plateau
- 180-240 dollars per head
- Store buyer price range
- 25,000 lambs
- Saleyards volume
- Western Victoria and South Australia
- Location
Why it mattersCheap feed could unlock a margin for farmers holding lambs. It also means processors might finally get the supply they need.
AustraliaRural producers in South Australia and Victoria face pressure on cash flow if they cannot move lambs to market. Cheaper grain could ease that squeeze and reduce losses.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
