MELROSE
*47 of 49 Merino and Poll Merino rams sold to $3300, av $1644
CONTINUING what has already been a stellar ram selling season, Melrose Merino stud has recorded its best ever sale.
The Nurrabiel stud offered 49 Merino and Poll Merino rams, and sold all but two, averaging $1644, and hitting a top price of $3300.
To break down the figures even further, all 20 of the offered Poll Merino rams sold, av $1900, up $569 on last year, and 27 of 29 Merino rams sold, av $1455, up $589.
The significance of these big average jumps was not lost on stud co-principal Warren Russell, who said it was proof people are noticing the progress the stud has been making.
“We’re really pleased with the way the stud’s been going, it’s all a part of our continued improvement,” Mr Russell said.
The top-priced ram went to Ron and Allan Anderson, Amphitheatre, who are first-time buyers.
The father and son said they saw Melrose rams at the Ballarat Show and Sale earlier this year, where the stud sold four rams, and topped at $5500, the highest price it has ever achieved at a ram sale.
“We saw the rams at Ballarat, and we were really impressed, so we thought we’d come by to their sale today, and ended up as the top-priced buyer,” Allan Anderson said.
They bought three rams, av $2733, and said Lot 18, the top-priced ram, covered all bases.
“All of his figures were good, and he was visually appealing too; he stood well, and his fleece was good,” he said.
The polled ram’s fleece measured 17.2 micron, 3.1 standard deviation (SD), 18.1 per cent co-efficient of variation (CV), and 100pc comfort factor (CF).
The second top-priced ram, Lot 19, another Poll, was purchased by Dean Cameron, Noremac White Suffolk and Suffolk stud, Balmoral, for $3200, as well as two others, av $2167.
Mr Cameron runs a self-replacing Merino flock, and joins his older ewes to White Suffolk rams, to breed first-cross lambs.
A return client of over a decade, he said he’s had continued success from the stud’s rams.
“They’ve got good size and frame, and structure too, which is most important,” Mr Cameron said.
“Their style of wool is exactly what we’re looking to reproduce.”
Volume buyers included Beveridge Agriculture, who bought seven, to a top of $2100 (twice), av $1714, and Ethandune Partnership, who also bought seven, to a top of $1300, av $1000.
Bob and Kerry Ferrier, with the help of granddaughter Jasmine, Coleraine, bought three, to a top of $1600, av $1467.
Running a self-replacing Merino flock, the Ferrier family have been buying from the stud for over a decade.
“The stud has been improving year after year; the rams have become a bit more bold and are getting more wool on them,” Mr Ferrier said.
Stud principals John and Warren Russell said there was high demand for polled rams at the sale.
“It’s obvious that the polled rams are becoming more and more popular, if you have good polled rams, you know they’ll sell really well, and they did today,” Warren Russell said.
“We’re not going to completely change to a polled stud because of this, because there’s still demand for the horns, but we’ll definitely continue to offer more and more polled.”
He said it was good to see new faces at the sale, as well as many regular clients.