TOLAND MERINO AND POLL MERINOS
*91 of 100 Poll Merinos sold to $4500, av $1870
*5 of 9 Merinos sold to $1750, av $990
FELTRIM POLL DORSETS
*78 of 80 Poll Dorsets sold to $1400, av $799
THERE was a big gallery of buyers who competed for Toland Merinos and Poll Merinos’ 109 rams at the stud’s recent on-property sale in Violet Town.
There were 100 Poll Merinos on offer, of which 91 sold, to reach a top price of $4500 late in the sale for Lot 93.
The Poll Merinos reached a sale average of $1870, up almost $40 on last year’s sale.
Of the nine Merinos on offer, five sold, to a top of $1750, av $990.
Long-term client of almost eight years Stuart Fox, ‘Fox Pastoral’, Merton, purchased the top-priced ram.
“He was my pick of the sale, he’s an all-rounder, with good wool and good carcase traits,” Mr Fox said.
“The stud’s going in the right direction with the future of the Merino industry, breeding dual purpose rams.”
The ram recorded fleece measurements of a 17.2 micron, 3 standard deviation (SD), 17.6 per cent co-efficient of variation (CV), and a 100pc comfort factor (CF).
Lot 19 reached the second top price of $4250, and was bought by Phil and Jackie Muecke, Penola, SA.
The duo have been buying from the stud for almost two decades because they are bred in similar environments to their own.
“They have similar rainfall levels to us, so we know they’ll do well for us back at home,” Mr Muecke said.
They bought five rams in total, averaging $3500, some of which were sired by ANDO120282.
“We bought a ram from him last year, and his lambs aren’t on the ground yet, but we’re expecting good things,” he said.
Alan Plunkett, ‘White Gate’, Avenel, was a big volume buyer, taking home 12.
“We’ve been to every sale for the last 15 years,” Mr Plunkett said.
“The rams do well in our high-rainfall country, the stud’s objectives really match our objectives.”
The University of Melbourne (Dookie College) farm manager John Geddes bought 10.
“We try to buy about 10 a year, and we like Toland’s rams for their frame and wool type,” Mr Geddes said.
“We’re also selecting on low egg worm count, which these rams had.”
Prior to the Merino and Poll Merino auction, Feltrim Poll Dorsets offered 80 rams, and sold all but two, to a top of $1400, av $799.
This average is slightly down on last year’s, however 18 more rams sold this year to last.
The top-priced Poll Dorset ram, Lot 246, was sold to Murray and Fiona McKenzie, ‘Kilfeera Park’, Lurg.
The sale was conducted by Elders and Landmark.