Reduced numbers at ewe fairs reflected the decline in sheep numbers with the influx of dairying in the South Island, PGG Wrightson stock agent Glenn Hopkinson said.
He recalled when there used to be a full yarding at what was then an old ewe and lamb fair in Oamaru, which overflowed into the cattle pens at the Waiareka saleyards, and there also used to be a full yarding for a 2-tooth ewe sale.
John Cheesman, from Whitestone Livestock, described it as a fair sale, with the prices reflecting the quality of the stock on offer.
He also remembered the heyday of ewe fairs in Oamaru and also across the wider region at venues where sales are no longer held.
The top price went to Tullymett Farm with 103 Romney-Texel cross 2-tooth ewes at $232, followed by A. B. and R. M. Hamilton with Romney 2-tooth ewes at $212.
A range of prices.
-Rob McLeod, Perendale 2-tooth ewes at $210; Mavor Farms, Coopworth 5-year ewes at $176; Taipo Park, Perendale full-mouth ewes at $175; Kuriheka Estate, Corriedale 5 and 6-year ewes at $140; R. H. and M. P. Miller, Perendale annual draft ewes at $152; Foxhaven Farm, Romney annual draft ewes, at $145; B. Diedrichs, mixed-age Romney ewes at $173.