Young first cross ewes sold to $494 and lambs to $380 at the Ballarat annual January first-cross ewe sale.
It was a regular crowd of buyers with Gippsland and central and western district buyers providing the bulk of orders.
The first pen of the sale was a line of 200 Border Leicester/Merino-cross ewes, 1.5 years, November shorn, sold account Cornhill Pastoral, made top money of $494.
A second line of 78 account the same vendor sold for $380.
Rogers Brothers, Pura Pura, sold a pen of 173 BL/Mo-cross ewes out of Eastville-blood ewes and by Wattle Park rams, that sold for $444.
A second pen comprising 128 account the same vendor sold for $438 and 100 at $425..
Schulze Pastoral received $442 for a pen of 152 BL/Mo-cross ewes, June/July 2020 drop, November shorn.
A second pen of the Schultz sheep comprising a pen of 124, sold for $400.
TB White & Sons agent, Tom Madden, said the top runs of 1.5 year-old ewes were similar to the sale before Christmas.
Mr Madden said the lighter drafts of vendor-bred sheep were slightly dearer than the December sale with most making $340 to $380.
Top of the ewe lambs came from a draft that comprised a dispersal account regular vendors, CJ & JA Smith, Kinross, Skipton.
The draft topped at $380 for 120 ewe lambs, June/July 2021-drop, November shorn, out of Stavely Park ewes and by Rogers rams.
The following pen of 181 account the same breeder sold for $332.
The total draft of 400 averaged $335.
Lighter ewe lambs were in strong demand from restockers with most selling from $180 to $250.
D & D Lawrence & Sons, Euroa, sold a line of 210 ewes, May/June 2020-drop, September shorn, that sold for $422.
A draft of ewes, May/June 2020-drop, November shorn, out of Brooklands ewes and by Enfield Border Leicester rams sold account Golden Grove, Newlyn, sold to a top of $422.
The annual draft of ewes forwarded by Fraser Brothers, Clunes, were June/July 2020-drop, October shorn, by Ellingerrin rams.
The top line of 290 made $420 while the 639 in the draft averaged $400.04.
Nutrien livestock manager, Xavier Shanahan, said there were a larger percentage of lighter sheep in the yarding.
He said that was a reflection of the seasonal conditions not being favorable for "sheep doing ability".
"It was a good solid sale, with buyers comfortable working around these values and breeders are selling at pretty good money," he said.
The best of the 1.5 year-olds sold in general from $380 to $450, he said.
"The next level back made $350 to $380 with the lighter condition sheep making, generally $280 to $350.
Mr Shanahan said the well bred, mid-range of ewe lambs made $240 to $260 and the joinable ewe lambs made over $300 with a top of $380.
PJ Smith, Boort, sold a pen 179 lambs for $370.
Also in the lamb yarding was a pen of 164, May/June 2021-drop, October shorn, ewes that were sold account Andrew and Sharon Lockhart, Wychitella near Wedderburn.
The pen was described as "joinable weight ewes" that were out of Charinga-blood ewes and by Blackgate rams, and sold for $320.