Lo-Debar Station co-owner Tim Howie waits for his on-farm lamb sale to start. Photo / Shawn McAvinue
A bumper season is producing healthy lambs but numbers at a sale were down due to a dry autumn, a Taieri farmer says.
Lo-Debar Station co-owner Tim Howie offered about 1600 lambs - a mix of Perendale and Texel cross - on his more than 400ha farm in Hindon last week.
He had hoped to have more lambs on sale but last year was "a b...... of a season".
The biggest challenge on the farm, about 20km north of Outram, was a drought due to a dry autumn but he remained philosophical.
"It is what it is."
The temperature on sale day was hot.
"This is Hindon, mate. It's always scorching," Howie said.
Frequent rain this summer had resulted in plenty of feed being available for his stock.
"The lambs are healthy as."
In contrast, he recalled battling dry conditions when first farming in Hindon about five years ago.
"It was 35degC at Labour Weekend and it never rained, so this season has been a bumper."
PGG Wrightson livestock agent Jayden Crawley, of Outram, said the lambs sold for an average price of $119 - $123 for Texel and $109 for Perendale.
'It is a much more efficient way of getting twice as many apples using a lot less water.'