Southern farmers battling dry conditions have a few less mouths to feed after a full clearance at the Maniototo Last Muster Lamb Sale.
PGG Wrightson auctioneer Mark Yeates said all of the 13,000 lambs on offer sold at Waipiata Saleyards last week.
In comparison, more than 17,000 lambs were on offer at the annual event last year.
Dry conditions in the South had forced farmers to sell store lambs earlier this year, which impacted supply for the last muster sale.
Mid Canterbury farmers were buying lambs at the last muster sale, after a notable absence from the first muster lamb sale at the same saleyards a month earlier.
"They are in a better position to take some lambs on now."
The event was last big lamb sale in the South Island for the season.
Prices were "fairly firm" including a top price of $100 for Lindsay Scott’s pen of more than 600 crossbred mixed sex lambs.
The top end lambs sold for between $80 to $100, halfbred wethers sold for between $60 to $80 and smaller wether lambs for between $45 and $60.
Price were down on last year, when top lambs sold for more than $160 each.
Lammermoor Station owner John Elliot, of Styx Valley, offered about 900 lambs Southdown halfbred lambs.
He offered about twice as many lambs at the sale last year but he decided to carry more lambs through to shearing on his 5400ha property this season.
"The store market is flat so this is to pay the bills next month."
"The price are fair — it is just a reflection of the market."
Armidale co-owner Allan Paterson, of Gimmerburn, offered nearly 500 lambs, a mix of quarterbred ewes and halfbred ewes and wethers.
Feed was short on his farm so he needed a full clearance.
"They’re not big enough to go to the works and we don’t have the feed to keep them on, so they’ve got to go."
If farmers had feed available, they could buy lambs at a good price.
"There is money to made if someone has some vitamin G — that’s grass."
