*50 of 63 rams sold to $4400, av $2096
LOCAL wool producers took the complete catalogue at the 36th annual Trefusis ram sale at Ross, Tasmania.
The offering comprised 44 Merino rams and 19 Poll Merino rams with the top price making $4400 and 50 rams sold averaging $2096.
Stud principal Georgina Wallace, said the coronavirus restrictions on Victorian travelling to Tasmania had an impact on the sale.
She said locals had stepped in the buy with exceptional support coming from repeat clients as well as new buyers.
It was a huge change from the 2019 sale when 36 rams were bought by Victorians.
The 2020 sale average was slightly higher than the 2019 sale, with a slightly decreased clearance at auction.
Ms Wallace said there was keen interest from locals in the remaining rams.
She said Tasmania had experienced one of the wettest winter-spring periods in many years but the rams had come through extremely well.
"The rams still displayed the well crimped, bright, white wools that we want them to in these times," she said.
The sale was interfaced with AuctionsPlus and this would continue in coming years to market the stud to a wider audience, she said.
The top priced ram didn't come until lot 39, when Barry McConnon, Levendale, Tasmania, paid $4400 for a ram by Trefusis 160415 and a grand son of Nerstane N18.
The ram had figures of 18.7 micron, greasy fleece weight (GFW) of 115 per cent, coefficient of variation (CV) of 16.8pc and comfort factor (CF) of 99.2pc.
The same buyer earlier purchased lot 34 at $3800 and lot 16 at $2600.
On the maternal side, the ram was out of a ewe that would be part of the stud's embryo transfer program that would start in 2021.
The buyer was a return client who targeted the higher end of the catalogue.
One of the volume buyers was Mick McMahon, Brambletye, Conara, Tasmania, who bought 15 rams from the catalogue after buying 10 rams at the 2019 sale.
The buyer paid $4200 for lot 32, a ram by Nerstane 160007 that came with figures of 19.5 micron, GFW of 109pc, a CV of 14.6pc and CF of 99.6pc. The same buyer earlier bought two polled rams, lot 7 and lot 8 for $4000 each.
Lot 7 was sired by poll ram Coryule 150588 and out of a poll ewe and had figures of 19.2 micron, GFW of 109pc, CV of 16pc and CF of 99.1pc. Lot 8 was by N160007 and out of a poll ET dam. It had a micron of 20.3, GFW of 139pc, CV of 18.2pc and CF of 98.4pc.
Lochiel Pastoral, Ross, Tasmania, bought ten rams paying $3400 on three occasions.
Agents Webb & Woodiwiss interfaced on AuctionsPlus.