*Total Clearance of 50 rams sold to $2500 (twice), av $1300
YEA Southdown stud, Fincham's Burando, has found a ready market in its local area, with volume buyers helping the operation to a total clearance.
The stud sold rams at the Yea showgrounds, with many of the buyers coming from the region, principal Tim Fincham said.
The two top-priced rams, which both sold for $2500, went to Graeme Dehnert, Ballan, for stud use.
Mr Fincham said Mr Dehnert was looking for rams with outcross blood, good figures and a deep hindquarter.
Both the top-priced rams were by Fairbank, Tasmania, sires out of Burando-bred ewes.
The sire of Lot 17, Fairbank 17/867 (T), was purchased for the top price of $5000 at the Tasmanian stud's 2018 sale, in partnership with Kirkdale Southdowns.
His sire is NZ Mapua 14706.867, described as a tremendous carcase sheep with a deep-bodied, big hindquarter and a clean bare face and legs.
The July 2019-drop ram had a birth weight of 0.14 kilograms, a weaning weight of 7kg, a post-weaning weight of 10.1kg and a post-weaning fat of 0.4 millimetres.
The 106kg ram had a post-weaning eye muscle depth of 0.7 and had a scanned eye muscle area of 42 square centimetres, with a scanned raw fat of seven.
His terminal carcase production index figure was 103.8.
Lot 20 was sired by Fairbank 160864 (T), purchased from the stud in 2017 and described as a breed trait leader for growth rate.
The August 2019-drop 102kg ram had a birth weight of 0.3kg, a weaning weight of 8.1kg, a post-weaning weight of 12.8kg and a post-weaning fat of 0.7mm.
His post-weaning eye muscle depth was 1.1, and he had a scanned eye muscle area of 44sqcm, while scanning a seven for fat.
He had a TCP index of 112.5.
Mr Fincham said most of the buyers purchased on-site, but interfacing the sale with AuctionsPlus also attracted buyers.
"It was interesting, nearly all the sales were north of the Divide, an area where Southies haven't traditionally been selling into," he said.
"But we have a cleaner-faced Southie."
He said processors were pushing Southdowns as the ideal ram for prime lamb operations.
"In the last four years there have probably been 3000-4000 Southdown rams being supplied around the country, far more than what there was before," he said.
"They are being sought all over the country, because it's about eating quality.
"They have a fine intramuscular fat and the highest marbling consistency of all the breeds."
He said processors wanted a "consistent article, and the Southdown has been pretty well rock solid, especially over the composites, in the western districts".
Nutrien Ag Solutions' Chris Pollard said buyers were looking for length, stretch and quality.
"It was a pretty good line-up of rams," Mr Pollard said.
Volume buyers were Glendaloch Farm, Yea (12), JM Hiscock, Mangalore (nine), and Hopkins Ridge (six).
Have you signed up to Stock & Land's daily newsletter? Register below to make sure you are up to date with everything that's important to Victorian agriculture.