*95 of 100 maternal rams sold to $6500, av $2034
*137 of 187 Southie terminals rams sold to $2750, av $1383
Buyers bid freely as they chased performance-backed maternal and terminal sires at the annual Yarram Park Performance Ram Sale at Hamilton on Tuesday.
Yarram Park owner Antony Baillieu said the stud's reputation for producing rams that were consistent and predictable was critical to the success of the sale.
He said the ram selling business was "very competitive" and the result was pleasing.
"As long as you are improving your article, it keeps you in good shape," he said.
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Mr Baillieu said many producers were "very focused" on figures, but there were still many unmeasured things in an animal that were very important.
"You want repeatability in terms of producing a pen full of lambs and you want them to look the same," he said.
"We are trying to produce even sheep... we are on a journey.
"Figures are important but I like to look at the animal first."
He said that after starting with sheep that had no figures attached to them, they were now providing figures that would meet industry trends.
The rams had been running on grass at Broadlands, Lucindale, SA, after weaning and had not been supplementary fed up to the day prior to the sale.
Mr Baillieu said it was important that if people were selecting rams to breed on grass, they should be selected from rams in the same environment.
The stud offered 267 rams with the maternal rams for self-replacing flocks selling to $6500 a head and averaging $2034.
The buyer of the top lot was the Bawd Family Farming Trust, Mount Gambier, SA.
The ram, Lot 3, was sired by Clo Hills 191266 and had post weaning eye muscle depth of 1.37 millimetres and a maternal carcase production plus index in the top five per cent of the flock at 169.1.
Another SA producer, ECH Schinckel and Sons, Naracoorte, SA, purchased Lot 1 and Lot 2 for $4000 respectively in a draft of five rams that averaged $3800.
New client, JJ and JE Coghlan, Avoca, purchased eight rams to a top of $2750 and averaged $2062.
Jeremy Goghlan, Avoca, said he came to buy rams to use in his newly-established composite ewe flock.
Sybil and Matthew Burmeister, Mt William Pastoral, Willaura, purchased 20 terminal rams and six maternals.
The couple converted from a Merino flock in 2014 with the purchase of 2013-drop ewe lambs that were then joined to Yarram Park rams.
Ms Burmeister said they had used Yarram Park and Cloven Hills rams since.
She said this year marked the start of their terminal venture buying a draft of Poll Dorset/Southdown rams.
The couple run 4000 ewes with 3000 to be joined to maternal sires and about 1000 to terminal sires for the first time.
Mr Burmeister said they would class the maternals heavily after a number of years just building numbers.
"Our focus to now has been breeding quality store lambs and getting as many lambs on the ground as possible," he said.
"We get the wethers off as stores and we have been selling the ewe lambs on AuctionsPlus as future breeders."
PJ & A Heazelwood, Penshurst, paid up to $3500 for three rams with the top lot sired by Lambpro 194155 with a weaning weight of 10.4 kilograms,
Connorville Station, Cressy, Tasmania, purchased 12 rams to a top of $2750 and average of $1895.
Volume buyers included Fil Toledo, Woodhouse Ag, Mount Cottrell, who purchased 15 Southie rams at an average of $1650 and top of $2000 on two occasions.
Fifteen Southie rams were also purchased by Ferlyn Pty Ltd, Shelbourne, via online at an average of $1466 and top of $2000.
Elsdon Estate, Perth, Tas, purchased eight rams in total including five maternal sires to $3250 and an average of $2450.
North Skene Ag bought five maternal sires to a top of $3000 on two occasions and seven Southies to $1500 (twice).
Another volume buyer was Sierra Park Pty Ltd, which purchased 10 Southie rams to a top of $1750 (twice) and averaged $1250.
