RESTOCKERS wanting growthy, spring-lambing crossbred ewes pushed prices to $228.50 at Corowa last week.

But the high price was a one-off with the market softening on joined Merino ewes that struggled to reach $100.

Several pens of Merinos, scanned-in-lamb to terminal sires and aged 18 months to four years, were passed-in at $87-$95.

In one of the smallest yardings of the decade, Corowa Associated Agents offered just 3500 ewes.

Buyers attended from Ganmain, Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga, Benalla and local areas.

Russell Mathews, of Rand, topped the sale with Border Leicester-Merino ewes, June-July 2009-drop and November shorn.

Due to lamb this month to Poll Dorset and White Suffolk rams, the draft sold for $192-$228.50.

Peter Carroll, of Ganmain, bought the top-priced pen as replacement first-cross ewes.

Corcoran Parker Corowa manager Clinton Rixon said a requirement of the sale was for ewes to be scanned.

"These are all good young crossbred ewe lambs that were not detectably pregnant at our earlier sale," Mr Rixon said.

He said producers were reluctant to buy more stock after locking up grazing crops for grain.

Brian Unthank Albury auctioneer Michael Unthank said joined ewes lacking frame size had failed to sell.

"Some of those sheep had come from the (NSW) New England area and were a bit small," he said. "They don't suit this area that well."

Mr Unthank said the sale result was a typical flat winter market.

Autumn 2009-drop, spring shorn crossbred ewes joined to Border Leicester rams sold down to $160.

A small selection of 1 1/2-year-old scanned-in-lamb crossbred ewes, June shorn, made $136.

Unjoined crossbred ewes, aged two to four years and June shorn, topped at $132 and sold down to $110.

Demand was steady for unjoined first-cross ewe lambs (July and December shorn) at $140-$145.

Among the Merino pens, spring-shorn 1 1/2-year-olds scanned-in-lamb to Dorper rams topped at $110.

Merino ewes, aged four to five years, with autumn-drop lambs and June shorn topped at $160. Older scanned-in-lamb Merino ewes, May shorn, sold for $100.

One draft of woolly crossbred store lambs, March-April drop, sold to strong competition for $85.20.

Brian Unthank Corowa manager Peter Ellis said agents had struggled to attract entries.