THE last ram in a sale catalogue made history for two passionate Saxon Merino breeders last week in Victoria Valley, south-west Victoria.
One – Bill Crawford at Sierra Park – sold a ram into the flock that started it all for the breed in Australia – Winton Estate at Campbelltown, Tasmania.
The other – Winton Estate owner John Taylor – bought the “near perfect stud ram” from Sierra Park, the first Merino ram he has ever bought for his stud in almost 40 years of breeding Saxon sheep.
“It feels very good,” was the understated response of Mr Crawford at selling Lot 40 - the last in the catalogue – to Mr Taylor for $4000.
“I just think it is good for us to be swapping genetics among the pure Saxon flocks,” he added.
“It’s quite an historic day.
“It’s something that hasn’t been done very often.”
Mr Taylor is the seventh generation owner of the Winton Estate flock, founded in 1835 with sheep from the first Saxon sheep bought to Tasmania by pioneering Merino breeder Eliza Forlonge.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever bought a Merino ram,” Mr Taylor said.
“It’s something I have never done but it is very exciting for me to go out and find the ram I’ve wanted.”
Previous generations of Taylors have bought selected rams from other Saxon studs in Tasmania, but John Taylor said he had used only home-bred sires since he took over running the historic Winton flock in the early 1970s.
Mr Taylor said the 16.9 micron two-year-old Sierra Park ram was hard to fault, with a good consistent quality fleece of wool all over and an open face. The June-shorn ram’s second shearing fleece had a curvature of 105 degrees/millimetre and a standard deviation of 3.3 per cent.
“The ram’s wool is so good and he is so correct in his stance.
“He’s a near-perfect stud ram,” Mr Taylor said.
“When you see a ram like that you’ve got to take the opportunity to buy it.
“It’s a momentous occasion for the stud and we are very excited about it.”
Mr Taylor said he would start a new family in the Winton flock with the ram, hoping the sire would put some hybrid vigour into the flock and give more scope for future selection.
Mr Crawford said the ram came out of the Sierra Park’s productive Benham family known for its long-lived sheep with good carcase and fleece coverage.
“He’s a very good example of the family – very true in the wool, very well-balanced and well-covered.”
Selling agents Elders sold 37 of the 40 rams offered at the auction on February 14 for an average of $1224 up about $400 on last year’s result.
Mr Crawford said the sale result showed confidence in the future and marketing of Saxon Merino wool.
“It’s a confidence booster.”
Winton Estate neighbour Andrew Nicolson from Streanshalh also bought a ram at the sale, Lot 2 for $2400.
Repeat buyers included Simon and Danny Smith from Balmoral who paid an average of $1283 for six rams; Mininera wool producers Ian and Phillip Meek, who paid an average of $911 for nine rams and Barry Kinghorn from Byaduk who averaged $722 for his nine rams.
Mininera’s Garry Meek paid an average of $1650 for four rams and Yass breeder Ian Greenwood averaged $1250 for two rams and was losing bidder on the $4000 ram. Victoria Valley wool producer Rex Beveridge bought one ram for $1400 and new buyers Derek and Alison Prentice took home their first Sierra Park ram for $1000.
