MARKETS are holding on well in the south of NSW considering the season drying off.
Sheep and lamb numbers in Wagga Wagga have been strong with 40,000 lambs and 20,000 mutton yarded last week.
Lambs sold firm to dearer and mutton slightly cheaper on the heavy end.
The new season lamb supplies increasing by 12,000 to total 32,700.
There was another outstanding run of new season lambs across trade and heavy export classes, however heavy young lambs weighing more than 26kg were in limited supply.
A total of 4700 head were yarded on Monday at the prime cattle sale in Wagga Wagga and cattle sold about 10 to 15 cents a kilogram cheaper.
We can't complain because at least the stock being offered have got some weight on them.
This week I'm doing a salute to all the breeders out there running the ewes and the cows to keep the progeny coming through.
I know times have been extraordinarily tough and it has surely gone through your mind "I should just trade stock ".
It's great to see the resilience of so many stock persons.
This includes the seedstock producers still feeding stud cows and bulls to present to their clients; it can be a very thankless job sometimes.
The time, work and money is unreal!
But, I think the next time you're at a bull sale or talking to a stud principal (or stockman at a stud) let them know you are thankful for what they do because we all need them.
Another "hats off " is to the rural communities out there giving their time to organising, competing and donating cattle to run events like local shows, campdrafts and town festivals.
Last year a lot of things were called off due to drought, but this year I think everybody has said "we need to run something, just to get some people to town and off the farm for a day".
It's great to have people together.
Look after each other and stick at it.
- Alex Croker is a director of H Francis and Company, Wagga Wagga, and a member of Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association.