*50 of 52 sold to $5800, av $2072
Last year, Melrose Merino stud broke records at its on-property ram sale, and this year the Nurrabiel stud has gone one better.
Of the 52 rams offered, 50 were snapped up, to record an average price of $2072, which is up $428 on last year’s average, and the best average ever recorded at its on-property sales.
The top price of $5800 was another record-breaker, the highest price the stud has ever sold a ram for.
And stud co-principal Warren Russell said the buying gallery was also the biggest he had ever seen.
“It was a really exciting day, there were a lot more people there than we imagined would come,” Mr Russell said.
He credited the current market, as well as gradual breeding improvements, to the successful result.
“The way things are with sheep and wool, things are going really well,” he said.
“And I’d like to think that the slow burn where we’ve gradually been getting better and better, is paying off, and people are seeing the quality that we’ve got and are prepared to pay.”
The offering consisted of both Merinos and Poll Merinos.
There was a total clearance of 23 Poll Merinos, av $2495, and 27 of the 29 Merinos sold to $3300, av $1711.
It was a polled ram that took out the top-priced title, Lot 17, who was snapped up by return client of over a decade Dean Cameron, Noremac White Suffolk and Suffolk stud, Balmoral.
The ram’s fleece measured 17.5 micron, 2.9 standard deviation, 16.7 co-efficient of variation, and 100 per cent comfort factor.
Mr Russell said he was a stand out ram because of his dual purpose ability.
“He’s just a nice, big-bodied, good doing type of poll ram, with really excellent styled wool,” he said.
The ram’s brother, Lot 18, also sold well, making $3400.
It was purchased by Gerard and Michelle Glynn, Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, who had purchased a ram for $4400 from the stud at the Glenelg Merino Ram Sale recently, over the phone, and when coming to collect the ram on sale day, decided to make another purchase.
But the ram just missed out on being the second top-priced ram of the catalogue; that title was given to another polled ram, who sold to Ashley and Katrina McErvale, Beaufort, who bought three rams in total, av $3133.
Mr Russell said he was pleased with how his rams presented on the day.
“They were a good, even team of rams, there was not a lot of variation in quality,” he said.
He said they were seasonally affected, a few kilograms lighter than previous years, and wool that measured a micron or so finer.
But he said his season hasn’t been as bad as other parts of the country.
“We’ve had a solid season, particularly when you look around the rest of Australia, but it hasn’t been ideal,” he said.
A lot of the stud’s clients came from the south, where seasons have also been favourable, which he said probably contributed to the sale’s success.
“They’ve got the confidence that they’re going to need rams and will use them,” he said.
Volume buyers included Ethandune Partnership, who bought nine rams, av $1066, and Beveridge Ag, who bought seven, av $2371.