The backlash of last season's drought and widespread facial eczema outbreak is still being felt far and wide.
Stock numbers are low at the saleyards and despite the recent rainfall, the Big Dry is compounding the issue.
Independent Whanganui livestock commentator, farmer and agent David Cotton suspects sheep numbers especially are at lower than official statistics suggest.
"I have just spent a few days down in Blenheim and it is dry, very dry," Mr Cotton said.
"I think in that regard we are fairly lucky in the west coast. We are still battling low returns, but at least we are not having to deal with a drought on top of it. I think weather patterns over the past three years have, like Donald Trump, been so unpredictable.
Guessing weather patterns is a great skill to have, but difficult in a country like New Zealand when the west and east coasts are so close to each other."
Even though large numbers of store lambs have gone out of Hawke's Bay, numbers overall remain low for this time of year.
"My gut feeling tells me the numbers are probably way lower than even the official records show. At Feilding last Friday only 6000 were yarded and when you think the Feilding saleyards now replace up to seven lower North Island yards now not selling lambs, it makes that 6000 look even smaller," Mr Cotton said.
Yards at Fordell, Taihape, Raetihi, Hunterville, Pahiatua, and Dannevirke, and Masterton to a lesser degree, no longer deal in sheep.
"I think drought, facial eczema, changing land use and people leaving the industry are impacting on numbers.
But in saying that, the good rain in our region in the last week has kept the store lamb market solid. The sheep market is almost the same as it was last year in both store and prime.
The only difference is mutton that is selling for $3.20/kg compared to last year's $2.40/kg - that's an 80c/kg lift.
"I understand the signs are that overseas markets are improving and we didn't have that last year. It's the old supply and demand thing yet again, but the trouble is with such low numbers only a very few are able to cash in on it. The only handbreak is the strong NZ dollar."
Mr Cotton said the cattle market remained firm, and like sheep, very similar to last season.
"Ox, cow, heifers, both prime and store, are firm and very similar to last year," Mr Cotton said.