Glenrobin Stud co-owner Michael Robinson, of Glenham, said silage was usually made in late spring or early summer but, this season, it was made at the end of February.
Pasture had been "tight enough" due to about 50ha remaining shut up for so long to make silage and about 1000 lambs were sold recently to "catch up".
"All we need now is rain as we’ve been getting pretty dry. It is green dry down in Glenham," he said.
The stud held its seventh annual ram lamb sale at the Gore A&P Showgrounds last week.
All of the 30 Beltex Suffolk cross ram lambs sold including one for a top price of $2100.
Two-thirds of the 24 Beltex Poll Dorset-cross ram lambs sold. The top price was $1000.
All of the four Beltex 3/4 cross rams sold, the top price being $1150.
Mr Robinson was happy with the sale result and the performance of his flock during the wet spring, impacting pasture growth on his family’s 650ha sheep and beef farm east of Wyndham.
An appeal of the Beltex breed was its ability to survive adverse conditions.
"It has the added bonus of having a good carcass on them and getting lambs away, earlier and heavier," he said.
The following day, more than 8000 lambs sold for between $96 and $152 at Craig Robinson’s second livestock dispersal sale in West Otago.
The top steers, 144 Angus rising 2-year-old steers, weighing 495kg on average, sold for $1920 per head.
The heifer prices ranged between $1320 and $1580 per head.
• On the same day was the Oturehua Ewe Fair. PGG Wrightson regional livestock manager John Duffy, of Alexandra, said there was a full clearance.
The result included 576 half-bred five shear ewes from Mt Ida Station selling for $132 each and 582 half-bred ewes from Rocky Ridge Farm selling for between $120 and $124.
Vendors GA & AJ McKnight sold 389 half-bred 5-year-old shear ewes for between $125 and $132 and 141 6-year-old half-bred ewes for $110 each.
Buyers came from between Omakau and Palmerston, Mr Duffy said.
• More than 4500 ewes were offered at a dispersal sale on Deloraine Station in Owaka Valley on Thursday last week.
Results from online auction platform Bidr shows Romdale ewes fetched between $170 and $190 per head, Headwaters ewes between $176 and $186 and Coopdale ewes between $155 and $158.
• The first day of the Southern Man Cattle Sale at Lorneville Saleyard featured 115 lots. Top prices included 21 Angus and Angus-cross steers selling for $2240 per head, or $4.12 per kg.
Ten Charolais steers, averaging 531kg, sold for $2200 per head, or $4.14/kg.
The top price paid per kilogram was a pen of 67 Angus steers, averaging 365kg, selling for $1660 per head, or $4.55/kg.
• Rural Livestock agent Callum Stalker said there was a full clearance of about 4500 lambs on offer at Mt Stalker Pastoral’s on-farm sale in North Otago last week. The top cut sold for $145 each and most of the buyers were from Mid and South Canterbury.
"It was awesome. A really, really strong sale and all the lambs went to repeat buyers."
