HANNATON
87 of 101 Poll Merino and Merino rams sold to $3250, av $1513.
ONE of Hannaton stud’s, Kaniva, most loyal clients has returned to again pay top price for a ram, at this year’s spring sale.
Dick Smith, Loyoak, Minimay, paid $3250 for lot number one, a Poll Merino, son of GP 739.
Mr Smith was one of the many repeat buyers, at the sale, having bought his first Hannaton ram in 1970, stud principal Peter Hicks said.
“The ram had a huge meaty frame combined with a heavy cutting fleece,” Mr Hicks said.
“ He had Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBV) figures for yearling clean fleece weight of +16, yearly body weight of +7.0 and +0.6 for eye muscle.
“He was one of the heavier rams in the sale with a current body weight 109.5kg.”
The ram recorded figures of a 21.9 micron fleece, a standard deviation (SD) of three, coefficient of variation (CV) of 13.7 and comfort factor (CF) of 99.5.
Mr Hicks said Mr Smith was one of the stud’s most loyal clients.
“He bought his first ram in 1970, he’s missed one year since then, so he’s bought 45-46 rams and that’s not a bad run.
“He likes the sheep, he likes good wools and the sheep tend to perform – they are paddock run and do it pretty tough.”
The sale attracted 32 buyers, from three states, with seven local farmers taking a total of 23 rams.
Buyers came from as far as Boorowa and Corowa in New South Wales, through Tintinara, Keith, Mundulla, Padthaway and Bordertown, South Australia, as well as Victorian buyers from Rainbow, Horsham, Stawell, Avoca, Noradjuha, Edenhope, Goroke, Casterton and Harrow.
Four clients,CR and AJ Smith, Glenera Pastoral, TM and MA Keller and Mundabah Partners each paid $2750 for the second top priced ram.
Among the volume buyers were WP Trowbridge, Keith, who took seven rams, and Glenara Pastoral, Dunkeld, and TM and MA Keller, Rainbow, who took five each.
Mr Hicks said Hannaton had a lot of repeat buyers.
“Out of the 32, only two were new buyers, and they just came to look. They wanted a change, but they had already bought their rams elsewhere.”
He said he was confident they would come back again, next year.
Jonno Hicks said the stud was very pleased with the clearance and average.
“We were really happy with the way the sale went, both clearance and price wise, from start to finish,” Mr Hicks said.
“We sold rams across a fair array of areas and into different climates.”
The strong sale represented the level of confidence, in the sheep sector, at the moment.
“The sheep job has been fantastic, particularly for medium wool Merinos, with good wool cuts,” he said.
“It is putting money in their bank accounts and going really well.”
Elders Horsham’s Andrew Adamson said it was a good, solid sale, with money being paid for the right sheep.
“Right through, to the end of the sale, the good rams, with the better figures, made well above the reserve price,” Mr Adamson said. “There was plenty of competition from a good crowd, they were mostly return buyers but there were a few new ones, as well,” he said. Buyers were mostly looking for size and constitution, in the rams.
“I think most people were still looking for good wools, you can’t get away from that – you still have to have the right wools on the sheep, and the heavier fleece weights.”
The annual charity ram made $1500, proceeds went to the Kaniva branch of the Cancer Council.
