tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637325270417540108.post5580108792636201945..comments2023-10-20T22:39:41.258+13:00Comments on Farmgirl: Are lamb prices going to hold?Nadine Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09656765206284497908noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637325270417540108.post-55584962651850285612009-04-24T17:01:00.000+12:002009-04-24T17:01:00.000+12:00I used to be a sheep farmer so maybe I am oversens...I used to be a sheep farmer so maybe I am oversensitive to the English language being used in this way.<br /><br />You are expecting to buy 1000 lambs, to fatten, for an outlay of $85 to $90 per head. Every one of those lambs will fetch in four months time, on average, $120 to $135.<br /><br /><B><I>"...so we consider ourselves lucky if indeed we do manage to secure them, despite the horrendous overdraft it will likely cause!"<br />"So while $120 to $135 a lamb seems a good profit, there is a lot riding on the overseas markets in the next couple of months for many of us as these lambs are not on contract - as such."</I></B>$120 to $135 a lamb "profit" would be very good, but I assume you are "hoping for" a gross margin of between $35 and $50 x 1000 lambs, with all the costs of transport, horrendous overdraft, and four months of winter grazing on presumambly valuable rural land.<br /><br />Maybe sheep farming has got a lot easier, but international markets and exchange rates are probably a bigger gamble.<br /><br />I hope your optimism is rewarded.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com