High lamb returns are hoped to boost the bidding action at the Canterbury A&P Association's elite ram and ewe fair today.
With the meat schedule still at $9/kg for an average-sized lamb, there's optimism that this might bring out the chequebooks over the ram selling season.
A catalogue of about 130 stud rams, with seven Texel and six Poll Dorset two-tooth ewes, are up for auction at the elite fair.
They include border Leicesters, Dorpers, Corriedales, Texels, Suffolks, Dorset Downs, South Suffolks, Southdowns, Romneys and Poll Dorsets.
That's just short on last year's 160 entries and there's no Charollais and English Leicesters.