A much more manageable lamb yarding at last week's Feilding Prime Stock Sale - around half the number of last week - allowed for a gentle firming in lamb sale prices.
The lambs are not "monsters" yet, being still early in the season, but some big and solid lambs are being offered.
Margaret Beattie sold 6 for $113, Kuku Farm sold 25 for $110.50 and Ratanui sold two large lines of shorn males for $108.50 and $109.
Prices firmed slightly as the sale got under way, perhaps as everyone realised the yarding was smaller, but not to levels that will have anybody thinking of lifting their sheep flock numbers again.
Still, all vendors can do is grow their lambs out as best they can to maximise returns. There were few store lambs offered.
The fat ewe market is still travelling well with entries larger again this week and no trouble selling them.
By far the majority of the ewe yarding was in the better medium category with fewer heavy ewes or grazing ewes, and the ewe market could be considered to be at least steady with a hint of firming.
At least the cull ewe prices are helping the sheep breeder and, as numbers fall, the interest in mutton looks like keeping those prices reasonably steady.
Boner cow prices were pegged back by 15-20 cents/kg with few buyers operating.
There were no beef cows offered to tempt the market. There were also no beef heifers offered, only Friesian, and the two steers were Friesian cross, so the prime cattle were only lighter medium sorts.
Plenty of bulls came forward and the 10 beef bulls offered sold to firm demand.
The top bulls were a couple of hefty Friesians and sold well for $2158 ($2.84), considering the effort being made to talk the bull schedule down.
Sheep (6479): lambs (1575); prime (1491), 36-52 kg, $81-$113, $2.20-$2.30, firm - lifting; store (84), 22-36 kg, $37-$80, $1.68-$2.28, steady; hoggets (8), $60-$76; ewes (4705); good, heavy, 26-28 kg, $82-$86.50, $3.00-$3.30, firm; medium, 21-25 kg, $63-$81, $3.00-$3.25, firm; lighter, 16-20 kg, $40.50-$59.50, $2.50-$3.00, firm; 2ths (33), $55-$70; male sheep (58), $51-$71.
Cattle (138): steers (2), 490 kg, $1269, $2.59; heifers (9), 493kg, $1232, $2.50; cows (56); good, 547 kg, $979, $1.79, ease; boners, 387-641 kg, $522-$1045, $1.35-$1.60, ease; bulls (71), 360-670 kg, $752-$2158, $1.98-$2.84, steady.