With spring grazing conditions beyond salvage across a huge area of the Riverina, especially the western parts, station country producers moved quickly to quit any and all surplus stock, despite a forecast for rain this coming weekend.

A yarding of 10,000 crossbred lambs, sold normally in prime slaughter condition, fetched prices of $35 to $81, with most drafts averaging $50.

Buyers representing Mt Gambier, Naracoorte, Tasmania and many central Victorian areas led the bidding for these fattening type lambs.

In the breeder section a one-mark line of 1500 Merino/Dohne-cross ewes, '07-drop and September shorn, not station mated, made to $80 and averaged $76.50.

Highlighting the huge impact the drought is having on the Riverina region, especially many lines of Merino wether lambs normally held for the various district breeders' sales in October and even November, were quit early owing to the season.

These mostly made $20-$35.50 for the better grown lots, while some pens of small late-drop wether lambs realised single-figure returns.

* Extract from a full report to appear in Stock & Land, September 4 edition.