*53 of 58 rams sold to $5500, av $2651
AN ENERGETIC crowd of buyers bid up to secure the latest genetics at the 21st annual Stavely Park on-property ram sale of Felicity and Paul Brady, Stavely, on Monday.
A selection of repeat and first-time buyers bid up reaching a top of $5500 and averaging $2651 on a clearance rate under the hammer of 91 per cent.
Ms Brady said they were "very happy" with the sale result, with total rams sold about the same number as 2021.
She said the stud had decided to go fully to a non-mulesed policy across the flock this year.
"We trialled not mulesing for four years starting off with a flock at Moyston and it was successful so we decided to go non-mulesed for the stud and commercial flocks," she said.
It was a high tempo sale and long-time client of the stud, Tom Bibby, Tatyoon, via buyer representative Craig Potter, Elders, made his intentions clear early buying six of the first 17 lots in a draft of seven rams.
Mr Bibby paid the sale top of $5500 for Lot 17, a 19-month-old poll ram by Gus, and with a fibre diameter of 18.2 micron, standard deviation (SD) of 2.8, coefficient of variation (CV) of 15.3 and comfort factor (CF) of 99.7 per cent.
Mr Bibby's draft also included Lot 1 at $5000 for a ram by Black Bullet, a pure One Oak poll.
The 19-month-old ram had a 17.3-micron fleece, an SD of 2.5, CV of 14.4, and CF of 99.8pc.
He also paid $5000 for three other rams.
Mr Potter said the Bibbys had been Stavely clients since the first sale.
He said the Bibbys were moving into running more wool sheep and less into cropping and fat lambs.
"He's got confidence in the wool job and will be joining more ewes to Merinos this year," he said.
"He's got one of the best clips in Tatyoon."
He said the Bibby clip was a very stylish, well-nourished wool.
He said the top lot had a low SD and a high CF, as well as well-nourished wool to keep out the weather.
Ms Brady said they were impressed with how the rams had come through another wet year where they were out in the weather apart from a couple of days prior to the sale.
She said Stavely sheep had good feet and constitutions and good white wools.
Other volume buyers included Nevflo Pty ltd, Hamilton, with nine rams paying up to a top of $4000.
RRH Greystone Pty Ltd, Hamilton, bought seven rams to a top of $5000 for Lot 13, a son of Stavely Park 222.
Lot 9 sold for $5000 to PJ & FM Elson, Hamilton, who also bought Lot 20 for $4000, Lot 46 at $3000, and Lot 31 for $1500.
First-time client, DK Brereton, Avoca, purchased four horned rams at an average of $1250.
Maylands Grazing, Ararat, bought three rams to $3000 twice and an average of $2833.
Willowbank paid $4000 for Lot 11 and $3000 for Lot 41.
