*112 of 116 rams sold to $12,500 (twice), av $3388
PART OF Wurrook Merino stud principal Paul Walton's sales pitch before his recent on-property ram sale was that his rams stood up well in wet weather.
And this proved more timely than ever as the rain fell hard on the roof of the selling shed throughout the Rokewood stud's auction.
Wurrook offered 116 one-year-old and two-year-old rams, of which 112 sold to a top price of $12,500 twice, and average price of $3388.
Mr Walton said he was happy with the quality of his rams this year.
"They're looking good considering they haven't had any sun on them," he said.
It's a sentiment many producers can relate to at the moment as the state continues to be lashed by rain, and Elders stud stock agent Ross Milne agreed the rams were a good investment given the current climate.
"They're quality, predictable, fine-wool sheep that just keep getting better and better," Mr Milne said.
"They're the sort of sheep that not only survive, but thrive, in these wet conditions."
The two rams to make the $12,500 top price were sold in the first five lots of the sale.
The first - Lot 2 - was purchased by father and daughter duo Duncan Campbell and Catherine Lamaro, Barwonleigh Agriculture, Inverleigh, who have been buying from Wurrook for five generations.
Purchasing four rams in total on the day including the top ram, Ms Lamaro said they looked at the micron, conformation and bloodlines of the Wurrook sheep before making their selections.
Mr Campbell said the top ram was well put together.
"He stands well, has good statistics, and will bring new bloodlines into our flock," he said.
Ms Lamaro said the plan was to get the rams home and give them some time on pasture before feeding them up again prior to joining at the end of December/start of January.
She said the quality of the rams this year was a credit to the stud.
The two-year-old ran was sired by W Ring 14 and recorded fleece measurements of 116.4 greasy fleece weight (GFW), 18.2 micron, 2.9 standard deviation (SD), and 99.7 per cent comfort factor (CF).
The other top-priced ram of the sale was Lot 5, which was purchased by two Berridale, NSW, purchasers.
Nutrien stud stock agent Stephen Chalmers made the purchase on behalf of Gordon and Jenny Crowe, Berridale, and Peter and Jane Lette, Conrayn Merino stud, Berridale.
Mr Chalmers said the two families bred a similar type of sheep.
He said the ram would end up on the Crowes' property, with semen set to be used by Conrayn.
"They liked him for his size, wool, head, structure, his good behind, and that he stands well," he said.
"He's a good fit to their operations."
He said the Crowes had had success with some ewes bred by a Wurrook ram they purchased at the Great Southern Supreme Merino Ram Sale in Canberra a few years ago.
The two-year-old ram, who was described by Mr Milne as one of the picks of the draft, was sired by Yarra 193 and recorded fleece measurements of 123.6 GFW, 16.5 micron, 2.2 SD and 99.9pc CF.
It wasn't until Lot 78 that a ram was passed in, with only three passed in after that, proving the buyers in attendance were keen to snap up the offering.
And Mr Walters said that was a very good result.
"We're not doing it for the high prices, we want to make sure our clients get what they want, and it looks like they did today," he said.
Joely Mitchell
Joely started her career at Stock & Land as a cadet journalist in 2016. She is now the editor of the paper.
Joely started her career at Stock & Land as a cadet journalist in 2016. She is now the editor of the paper.
