A large gallery of committed Merino breeders attended the annual Yarrawonga Merino and Poll Merino sale on account the Phillips family, and saw 200 quality rams penned for total clearance and top price of $20,000 with sale average of $3797.
Studmaster Steve Phillips said it was an “unbelievable sale.”
“We had a lot of new buyers and repeat clients, and our sheep are performing well so producers are paying a bit more for quality,” he said.
Top price at $20,000 was paid for a Poll Merino, measuring 18.2 microns with a comfort factor (CF) of 99.3 per cent.
Purchased by Frank Kaveney, Tallawong Merino stud, Yass, who said the ram appealed for his “particularly productive and rich and well defined wool”.
“It is rare in a poll ram to have the subtler and gutsy skin with an elite wool,” he said.
Top priced Merino ram at $16,000 was bought by Bill, Margaret and Brent Mackay, “Brookfield’, Yass.
Mr Mackay said the ram had sweet wool with a beautiful crimp and will fit perfectly with their ewes.
“He is structurally sound and we are looking to continue growing long stapled ‘spinners’ wool,” he said.
Three hundred semen doses from the ram which had been judged 2016 Ram of the Year at the SWS Merino Field Day, have been retained by the stud.
Significant drafts were bought by Will Caldwell, “Milong”, Young, who paid $2966 average for 15 rams: ER and RJ Hopkins, Jerangle, who bought seven rams for average $5785, and Richard Last, Gundagai, who paid $3291 average for six rams.
Damian Meaburn, Roberts Wool, Launceston, purchased the following rams on behalf of his Tasmanian clients: one at $12,000 to Camelford Estate, one at $9000 to Rockford Pty Ltd, and one at $9000 to Okehampton Merino stud, Triabunna.
Longtime Monaro supporters, J and R Phillips, Jerangle, bought seven rams for average $4286, while local wool growers, Beggan Beggan Pastoral Co, Harden, bought 15 rams for average $3267, and the Shannon family, Bookham Station, Bookham, bought 14 rams for $3071 average.
The sale was conducted by Butt Livestock and Property, Yass and Elders Studstock, with Paul Dooley taking the bids.
First time buyer four for $8375
For Terry Dolbel, “Milton Vale”, Triangle Flat, after his first impression of the rams presented at Yarrawonga, he said “they were the best lineup of rams I’ve seen.”
Mr Dolbel (pictured above right, with his son Troy left, Yarrawonga studmaster, Steve Phillips and Peter Moore, Blink Bonnie Merinos, Tarana), with the $13,000 purchase in partnership with Peter Moore, also bought three other rams for a total average of $8375.
“They have got a very crimpy wool on a great frame … you can’t go wrong,” he said. “The wool is very soft, and will stand our high rainfall.”
Mr Dolbel had been to the Yarrawonga open day, and thought the rams presented were what he was looking for, being “real bale fillers.”
Mr Dolbel runs 14,000 Merino sheep including 5,500 ewes joined along with wethers, and said the new rams will be joined to selected ewes in their stud to breed replacement rams for their commercial flock.
“With these sheep we will have wool quality and quantity,” he said.
