Demand strong at Otago on-farm store lamb sale

Longlands Station leaseholder Logan Dowling and equity partner Phil Dowling load store lambs at the finish of his on-farm lamb sale. Photo / Alice Scott

Demand was strong at the annual Longlands Station store lamb sale at Kyeburn in Maniototo last week.

Longlands Station leaseholder Logan Dowling said not as many buyers were at this year's sale but prices were good as demand held throughout, prices averaging $105.

This is the eighth year Dowling and his wife Fiona have auctioned store lambs on farm — the lambs are from black-face Dorset rams and Romdale ewes.

Jesse Houston and Jo Dowling take a breather. Photo / Alice Scott

This year they sold a total of 3600 store lambs to local buyers "and a few have also made their way further south" he said.

Giving a helping hand in the yards are (from left) Dean Hudson, of Kyeburn, and Quintin Smith and Lyndon Buchanan, both of Ranfurly. Photo / Alice Scott

"Our lambing begins the first week of October, which was right when we had some atrocious weather hit, so the numbers are back a bit".

Like everywhere, the season had been late to start "but we've certainly had the heat in the last couple of weeks and the lambs have done very well" he said.

Mike Dowling, Bill Dowling and John Hore keep an eye on proceedings. Photo / Fiona Dowling

The hot, dry weather typical of this time of year in Central Otago had "well and truly" shown up and grass was beginning to burn off, so he was pleased to see the lambs head away.

"Now we can tidy things up and get the ewes sorted up and back on track".

Dowling's cousin Phil Dowling is an equity partner at Longlands Station.