Lamb Carcass
Prices Take
$12-46 Jump

The East Coast lamb trade went crazy last week. Prices were anywhere from $12 to $46 higher, and all weights settled in the same price range of $150.50-152. How can the value of a meat item be changed $46 in one day?

This same thing occurred 10 months ago when heavy carcasses jumped $45 to level out prices. That level playing field lasted about six weeks.

Some of the causes could be: sheep and lamb slaughter was down 13 percent last week to the lowest level this year and pushed year to date production below a year ago; imported lamb and mutton dropped 35 percent from the week earlier at 489 metric tons, though that is still equal to 40 percent of domestic production; the cold storage report last month showed lamb and mutton supplies up substantially; weekly kill weight of Colorado contract lambs was still nine pounds above a year ago at 159 pounds; the industry is killing more lambs than it is producing; newcrop lambs are about all gone; record high temperatures this week in Texas; but none of those would justify a packer asking and receiving $46 cwt. more for a product that has been dragging the market down for the past eight months.

In the meantime, slaughter lambs also sold sharply higher again. San Angelo was up as much as $15, California put on $18 during last week, and the Midwest was about $10 higher.

Feeder lambs didn’t get the price boost that killers received, mainly because that has been a red-ink area for some time, but most prices did move up about $5 or more and for the past two or three weeks are up about $10-12.

Slaughter ewes were lower for the most part, and the fat ones were taking some heavy discounts. Ewe exports to Mexico last week totaled 7379 head. Year to date numbers are up eight percent at 117,154 head.

San Angelo called 40-90 pound feeder lambs $81-89.50. Fredericksburg lambs were $90-95, heavies $80-90. Goldthwaite sold 40-70 pound lambs at $83-96, 80-100 pounds $82-97. Junction feeders weighing 55-70 pounds were $82-89. Midwest feeders of 40-70 pounds brought $80-90, a few $104-111, and 70-100 pounds $75-94. Billings lambs weighing 50-100 pounds brought $89-98.

Feeder lambs moving direct in West Texas were mostly $80-83, a few crossbreds to $84.

Slaughter lambs in San Angelo weighing 100-125 pounds brought $72-75, newcrops $85-90. Midwest markets had fats $75-87, with Sioux Falls at $91-97 on Wednesday.

Wyoming fat lambs recently sold at $65 for 130 pounds, Nevada had 110-115 pounds at $70, and California started the week at $62 and closed at $80. Midwest fats moving direct sold at $80-84, newcrops $85.

Fleshy slaughter ewes in San Angelo brought $35-45 with fats $27-35. Ewes on Midwest markets brought $18-29.75.