COLEDALE Poll Dorset, Bungeet, stud principal Wallace Binnie has a simple reason for the good results at this year's sale, which saw several records broken, in what was close to a total clearance.
With a top price of nearly $6000, and average up by more than $75, Mr Binne said it had been an excellent sale.
He put its success down to "breeding and feeding.
"You must have good husbandry from the breeders point of view, plus good genetics; if you get the both right, you end up with something everyone is after," Mr Binnie said.
"It was the best sale average and the highest price we have ever received for a ram.
"It was also wonderful to have some rams being sold into other studs."
Mr Binnie said stud buyers appeared to have re-entered the market, after an absence of a few years.
"We are strong believers in lamb plan, but only after you have made a visual appraisal," he said.
"We need the figures to be able to back up the visual traits - if you have a good looking sheep, you look further to see if the traits you are trying to breed, high growth or high muscle.
"I don't like the sheep that are too lean, on the fat index."
The sale topper, lot number six, was by Mirnoo 4/08, with a carcase of +199.6.
The July, 2014 drop ram was bought by Pembroke Pastoral, Tellangatuk, and measured figures of 15.1 kilograms, Post Weaning Weight (PWWT), positive fat (PFAT) of -0.2 millimetres, an eye muscle depth (PEMD) of 3.1mm and a weight of 210.4kg.
Pembroke also bought the second highest priced ram, for $2500.
Stud principal Kathy Simons, said she was prepared to go to $6000 to secure the ram, which she said she chose because of his figures.
"If the boys had put in a $6000 bid, I probably wouldn't have gone any further, but that is just the luck of the game," Ms Simons said.
"He was good value, I really didn't expect to get him and thought he would have gone for a lot more than that.
"He has really got the figures, he has got the stretch, and - certainly - if he grows out like the rest of the rams in the sale, he is going to be a magnificent looking animal, at maturity."
Pembroke ran 300 Poll Dorset stud ewes and had a flock ram sale, each year.
"He will go in over our ewes, go to the AI centre, then be used in our AI program," she said.
"I am hoping he will 'up' our figures and put a bit of punch into them."
Ms Simons said graziers were now looking more closely at figures, as well as the actual animals.
"If we haven't got the figures to supply, they tend to overlook the sheep, so we have
to supply what the demand is," she said.
Ms Simons said the second ram she purchased, lot four, was "not far off the mark with his figures, he is just a bit older, a bit more mature, than the other one."
The ram, an April, 2014 drop, had figures of 15.0kg, PWWT, -0.9 PFAT, 1.9 PEMD and a carcase of 199.1kg.
Volume buyers included Goulburn Valley Water (14 rams), Peter Thomas Pastoral, Mulwala (seven), AR and CM Strang, Tallygaroopna (seven), Viewbank Partners, Bungeet (six) and Rudd Pastoral, Cobram (six).
Elders Hamilton stud stock auctioneer Ross Milne said there were also many repeat buyers, at the sale."It was very pleasing, Wallace had a very good run of sheep, with sound performance data on LambPlan, but most importantly they were quality rams to look at, very structurally sound, cosmetically very good, with a lot of good shape and natural muscle in them," Mr Milne said