Merino stud holds its ultimate sale

When opening the sale both Kim and George Henderson expressed gratitude for the committed support from so many clients who had improved the productivity of the Merino flocks by using Grogansworth genetics.

"The success of this stud is a tribute to my father and of course we are sad but we are now moving in new directions," George Henderson said.

Loyal clients bid up to secure their choice of the offering, with the top price at $15000, while 89 of the 110 rams penned sold for $3247 average price.

The top priced ram, a son of Des 12006 (an AI son of Willandra Desmond sold to New Zealand for $35,000) was purchased by Henry Armstrong, Pemcaw Merino stud, Dunedoo.

"He is an outstanding sire prospect, with a big but balanced body and will cut a lot of wool," Mr Armstrong said.

"The purity of his wool is amazing especially over the poll which is often a weak spot for the Poll Merinos."

The fleece measurements of the PP ram born a twin indicated 19.9 micron, 3.7 standard deviation (SD) and 98.7pc Comfort Factor (CF), while his Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBV's) showed 134 greasy fleece weight pc (GFW), 4.6 eye muscle depth deviation (EMD Dev), 153 Dual Purpose Plus Index (DP+), 154 Merino Production Plus Index (MP+) and 136 Fibre Production Plus Index (FP+).

The second top price at $10,000 was paid by Ray and Bev Norman, Illabo, who were advised by sheep breeding consultant Michael Elmes, Smart Stock, Narrandera.

Mr Elmes said the horned ram born a twin and son of Nerstane 150073 was selected for staple length and defined crimp.

"The length of his staple was one of the critical selection criteria as they shear each six months," Mr Elmes explained.

"Along with high fleece weight and controlled micron, his ASBV's and physical appearance were in balance."

The third top priced ram (pictured) at $9000 was paid by Bill and Rhonda Daly, Young.

They were also advised by Mr Elmes and Mr Daly said they have had extraordinary success with their ram purchases from Grogansworth.

"Our last three wool clips have been bought for Italian mills, so buying our rams here has been very productive," Mr Daly said.

"We liked this ram for his long staple, with a high comfort factor and good width and depth of body.

"Having that buying attention from Italy is a credit to the Henderson family."

At the conclusion of the sale, Kim Henderson said he and his family were 'absolutely delighted' by the results.

"The top end sold exceptionally well," he said.

The sale was supported by online platform Elite Livestock Auctions, was settled by Australian Wool Network, Goulburn, and the guest auctioneer was Paul Dooley, Tamworth.

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