Back-to-back lamb sales were held on Silverpeaks Station, Lo-DeBar Station and Mt Gowrie Station last week.
About 30 people registered to bid at the sales.
Silverpeaks Station
Silverpeaks Station co-owner Mike Cowie said offerings on his farm in Hindon, about a 20km drive north of Outram, included more than 2000 Suftex and Romney-cross mixed-sex lambs.
He was happy with the full clearance of all the sheep on offer including a top price of $150 per head for a pen of 161 Suftex-cross mixed-sex lambs.
"We are going out of sheep at Silverpeaks — we are going all cattle because the pigs are eating too many of our lambs."
Lo-DeBar Station
The next lamb sale was on Lo-DeBar Station, about a 5km drive southwest from Silverpeaks Station.
Lo-DeBar Station co-owner Tim Howie said he was pleased with the full clearance of about 1400 Texel-cross mixed-sex lambs and 700 Perendale crypt lambs.
"It was a good top price of $165."
Prices this year were higher than at past sales.
"It is well due."
The season so far had been "a thumper" featuring plenty of grass.
Conditions were dry last year and he was feeling positive about farming in 2025.
"The sale is a good start and we are only 14 days in."
Mr Cowie retorted the sale made up for a tough financial year in 2024.
"We have a bit of ground to make up."
Mt Gowrie Station
The final sale was about a 25km drive west to Mt Gowrie Station in Clarks Junction.
Mt Gowrie Station co-owner Jim MacDonald had a full clearance including about 1000 Southdown and Romney-cross mixed-sex lambs, 4000 Romney wether lambs and 2000 Romney ewe lambs.
A reason for holding a sale for the first time was it being easier for sell the lambs rather than have the three people working on the station, including himself, finish them.
"We can finish our lambs but it is taking us longer and the past three to four seasons have been extremely hot here in February, March and April. It is getting drier and the pressure comes on."
PGG Wrightson agent Mark Yeates, of Oamaru, said at Mt Gowrie Station, the top drafting of the Romney wether lambs sold for between $114 and $139.
The MacDonald family took the top half of the Romney ewe lambs for their own replacements and sold the rest for between $87 and $106.
A top cut of Southdown-cross lambs sold for $132 and the second draft made $107, Mr Yeates said.
"It was strong sale ... there would be people who came to the sale who would have intended on buying lambs and gone away empty-handed," Mr Yeates said.
Some of the lambs were bought by farmers in Canterbury, North Otago and Southland.
A reason for the strong demand was there being plenty of grass around.
"It has been a very good growing season particularly over Christmas and New Year. We had a bit of rain and heat and the grass is coming."
Another factor influencing price was there being fewer lambs available for finishers to buy as the size of the national flock was falling.
"Most farmers you talk to would say it is one of the most difficult ones they have dealt with climatically, it was either too wet or too dry, and the prices in the sheep industry were pretty depressing and it is good to see the lamb and mutton prices coming up again."
Wild pig attacks
Attacks by wild pigs are common at lambing time, Silverpeaks Station co-owner Mike Cowie says.
"We have halved our lambing percentage. We are getting twin blocks with 50% tailings; over half the ewes have no lambs because the pigs have eaten [them]"
He had people shooting wild pigs including from the air in helicopters.
More pine trees were being planted in the district and would be breeding grounds for wild pigs, he said.
He had contacted Otago Regional Council four times about the wild pig issue and had no response.
"No-one will get back to me."
Otago Regional Council environmental implementation manager Libby Caldwell said feral pigs were only considered pests under its plan in its site-led programmes in Dunedin.
"There is only one rule for feral pigs that applies to the site-led areas and that is that no-one can keep, hold, enclose or otherwise harbour feral pigs in these areas."
The control of feral pigs was the responsibility of landowners and occupiers, as they could have major effects on native flora and fauna and threaten biodiversity, Mrs Caldwell said.
Pig-rooting could reduce the diversity of seedlings and saplings and cause a dramatic reduction in leaf cover on the forest floor.
Feral pigs ate many native invertebrates, native land snails and native earthworms.
Vegetation formed 70% of a feral pig’s diet.
"To achieve the best outcomes possible we encourage neighbouring landowners to work together and co-ordinate control of pests that are impacting their properties."
The council did not monitor feral pig populations."We have heard that wild pigs eating lambs is an issue in the region, but we don’t have data to confirm if this is a widespread issue."
