Top quality lambs on offer at Ashburton Gorge on-farm sale

Susan Coleman, Samantha Coleman, Kate Campbell, Ben Harmer, Annabel Harmer, Rachael Wood, Ian Coleman, Katelynn Coleman, Simon Paterson, Sam Harmer, Cassia Toki, Cameron Haynes, Ella Haynes and Locky Haynes, Kerry and Paul Harmer, at the Ashburton Gorge on-farm lamb sale. Photo / Samantha Harmer

A trio of Mid Canterbury high country stations have won high praise for the quality of their lambs after going through a tough season.

About 20,000 lambs from Mount Possession, Castle Ridge Station and Mount Arrowsmith Station went under the hammer at the Ashburton Gorge on-farm lamb sale at the start of the month.

Castle Ridge Station owners Paul and Kerry Harmer averaged about $159 for a yarding of about 9300 poll Dorset-Merino cross lambs, with the top pen of ram lambs making $207 at their 16th on-farm sale.

Mount Arrowsmith finished up with an average of $147 for their poll Dorset-Merino cross lambs and a sale high of $213 for their top pen, while Mount Possession had a top sale of $178 for their line-up of halfbred and blackface halfbred lambs for an overall average of $128.

Mt Possession also sold about 1000 halfbred annual draft ewes for about $185 each.

Paul Harmer said they were thrilled with the result.

"It's the best sale we've had and it's good to see all the work come together because it's a whole year's worth of work that comes to fruition at the end."

He said feed was tight in early spring until rain arrived.

Thousands of lambs went under the hammer for good prices at the Ashburton Gorge on-farm lamb sale. Photo / Samantha Harmer

"We were probably fortunate we had some good hot days that helped the clover growth and that's where we put weight on the lambs."

Just 400 of their lambs went to the store market, he said.

PGG Wrightson sheep and beef representative Greg Cook said the stations would have made an extra $20 to $30 a head on top of last year's prices.

"They were very happy and it was a very good line-up of lambs. You would go a long way to see them better. They were very good lambs and they were well paid for quality stock."

Many of the prime lambs went to the meat companies and the store lambs remained in Mid Canterbury and central Canterbury to be finished by arable and other farmers.

Cook said the stations deserved credit for getting the lambs through in such good condition.

"The climate was a bit difficult in the Gorge and they had quite a wet season so they did a very good job."

Hazlett Ltd livestock general manager Ed Marfell said the store lambs went to regular buyers who returned to the genetics because they knew they could get good results.

"There were 20,000 lambs on offer on one day from the three stations and that attracted the crowd. The presentation of the livestock and how the stations brought them forward was a credit to them as it hasn't been the easiest year - it's been wet and cold - and the lambs were as good you've seen."

He said the high prices were in line with a lamb schedule unseen for this time of the year.

"This has been the case throughout the season because we have a schedule well ahead of where it has been at this time of the year, and the start of the year. All on-farm sales have had a good run."