Winter has certainly arrived with a couple of days the last week the temperatures dropping to around zero.

The outlook around the Central West certainly looks encouraging for a prosperous winter.

The sheep and lamb market at Dubbo on Monday was dearer again for most descriptions of lambs, while the sheep were a shade easier from the previous sale.

Numbers were up from last week with the dearer market encouraging a few more to the sale.

Almost 24,000 lambs were sold and just over 12,000 sheep.

Merino lambs were the sale of the day with heavy weights making to a market top of $188.

With the wool market looking better the Merino breeders would be enjoying things at the moment.

In the market lightweight lambs made up to $118, and were 5c dearer, trade lambs had a similar rise and made from $103 to $152 just under 6c p/kg, great money for young lambs.

There were quite a few well-finished, heavy-weight, crossbred lambs in the yarding and they were $4 to $6 up on last week and rang the bell at $225.50.

Young restocker lambs unfinished also were in demand realising up to $118 p/kg.

Some of the dearest lambs in the yard, hoggets, also had their day in the sun coming back at $146 for a nice pen of crossbreds.

The sheep market was generally $5 easier and a touch more in places for the plainer types.

Quotations - lambs 12 to 16kg $65 to $117, 16 to 18kg $103 to $118, 18 to 20kg $105 to $128, 20 to 22kg $122 to $146, 22 to 24kg $135 to $159 and 24kg plus $146 to $225.50. Light ewes 14 to 16kg $30 to $53, 18 to 24kg $65 to $120, 24kg + $91 to $142 and wethers 18 to 24kg, $81 to $118, 24kg + $114 to $136.

At Dubbo on Thursday a reduced yarding of only 1750 cattle went under the hammer.

Young vealer cattle were up to 12c dearer, with steer vealers topping at 346c. Prime steer yearlings to 349c, while the heifer portion made 337c, feeder steers were 8 to 10c dearer selling to 343c.

The feeder heifers made up to 317c, young steers to the restockers almost made 350c, medium and heavyweight steers were also on the up 10 to 12c better, reaching 317c, while the grown heifers realised 282c.

The cow market was considerably dearer also with heavy weight cows selling from 188c to a top of 248c.

Quotations -

steer vealers 289 to 346c, heifer vealers 278 to 326c, yearling steers 321 to 349c, yearling heifers 302 to 337c, cows 400 to 520kg 188 to 223cm, while the heavy cows sold from 202 to 248c and bulls made from 190 to 305c.

Shute Bell reports that in a very similar week to last week the market managed to gain a handful of cents.

In a small national offering with the West not selling, the market opened relatively unchanged with this stability continuing throughout the week until late on the last day of sales, where a more buoyant tone took over.

The broader Crossbred types preformed the best but still remained a long way under last season's record highs.

At 1327 the Northern Region Indicator closed the week at an 11 month seasonal high with only four selling weeks inthe past four years, closing at a higher level.

27,848 bales were sold nationally for the week with a passed in rate of 5.3 per cent.

Major buyers included Techwool, Fox & Lillie and PJ Morris with a good even spread of exporter interest.

Forward markets also received pockets of activity this week with prices slowly rising and short term delivery months trading closer to this week's auction close.

Expected quantities on offer for July appear to be remaining low and well below the corresponding period last season, while bales offered for the season to date are showing an 8.3 per cent or 142,000 bale decline compared to last season.