Graeme and Lauren Hooper were “chuffed” with the outcome of their fourth annual Clear Hills Southdown ram sale at Hamilton on Friday.
There was a total clearance of the 69 rams offered, and a strong average of $928 achieved. The sale draft reflected more than 80 years of Southdown breeding by the Hooper family, which has carefully combined the best genetics from Australia and New Zealand.
New client Tony McGrath, Strathdownie, bought the $2200 top-priced ram. Mr McGrath attended the Clear Hill sale last year but was unable to secure the rams he wanted. This year he purchased a total of two rams, the other at $1400.
Mr McGrath has been using Southdown rams for many years in his commercial flock and liked their carcase traits, tight skins and lambing ease.
He bought the Kyle family’s Ashley Park Southdown stud, Bairnsdale, about four years ago, which became the foundation for his Pine Bank stud.
Mr McGrath said the sale topper was the perfect example of the breed, particularly its “lovely carcase shape” and he plans to join the ram to registered Southdown ewes in February. The ram weighed 97.5 kilograms, had an average daily growth rate of 275 grams a day, 5.5 millimetres fat, eye muscle depth (EMD) of 43.5 and an eye muscle area of 32.
There were five buyers who purchased five or more rams. An account through Southern Grampians Livestock, Hamilton, booked the most rams of the sale at seven to $700, av $614.
Alan Dyke, Green Hills, Paschendale, purchased six rams to $1200, av $1008. Mr Dyke used Southdowns many years ago and returned to using the breed a few years ago as they sell well at markets, including at Hamilton’s prime market, where he sells mostly trade lambs.
Repeat buyers Andrew and Bev Ellwood, Gorae West, purchased five rams chosen on growth rates and EMD. They will put them over first-cross maidens and plan to sell the lambs on a trade lamb contract. They paid to $1300, av $1120; and also carted an additional five rams for a neighbour, and the other client to purchase five was RG Kelly, Bessiebelle, who paid to $1000, av $860.
Mr Hooper said it was terrific to see many repeat buyers at the sale, which he said indicated Clear Hill rams had worked well in their operations. Most of the buyers were from south-west Victoria, but there were a handful from Gippsland, the state’s north-east and Mt Gambier, South Australia.
He said they offered and sold 15 more rams at this year’s Hamilton sale than last year, despite the tough seasonal conditions.
Mr Hooper said Southdowns were enjoying a popularity resurgence thanks to their ability to produce good quality sucker lams out of all breeds, with their good growth rates, hindquarter shape, intramuscular fat and fine grain muscle, which boosts flavour and tenderness.
Last week’s success builds on the strong result at Clear Hills earlier sale of the season in Rutherglen last month. The Goorambat-based stud sold 35 of 40 Southdown rams to $1200 and 20 Charollais-Southdown cross rams, of which all sold to $1300, for a combined average of $815.
