A south west Queensland grazing family hope a new fodder farm will help them get their remaining stock through the drought.

The wool market had an encouraging resumption to sales after the Christmas break with the EMI climmbing above the 1600c barrier.

The wool market has opened 2020 on a positive note with the EMI lifting 79 cents to 1637c a kilogram clean.

Ina first for the industry a Dubbo-based wool broker has made the submission of a grower-signed National Wool Declaration a condition of sale.

A decade ago, sheep graziers in Queensland's south west and central west were struggling to sleep at night, knowing that in the morning they would drive around and see more of their ewes and lambs lying dead or maimed from wild dog attacks.

Well presented first cross wether lambs made good money at Edenhope yesterday, with the top price $174.

Edenhope held the national record for ewe prices for mere hours but it retains the highest price in Victoria, with prices to $388.

Total sheep numbers are expected to increase in New Zealand by 0.3 per cent to 27.39 million head.

Lamb prices in the north were boosted by the prediction of rain, with buyer competition intensifying against a shortage of numbers at southern selling centres.

Rams peaked at $23,000 and ewes at $7500 at Tattykeel's annual stud Poll Dorset sale near Oberon.

A Texel ram lamb has sold for an astonishing $A380,000 in Scotland.