Pendarra sells top Gippsland Merino ram to Smith family, Cobungra

Pendarra Merino & Poll Merino stud principals Kelvin and Jackie Pendergast almost retained the sale-topping ram for their own operation, but opted last minute to sell the Benambra-bred future sire.

"I decided to let him go because I still have some rams by the same bloodline at home, along with his Pendarra-blood sire," Mr Pendergast said after the sale on Tuesday.

"He has that type of wool which really jumps out at you, it's very stylish and it's soft-handling, regardless of micron.

"He is a very well-defined and free-growing ram."

The $7000 ram, Lot 81, Pendarra 148, was bought by Alan and Noeleen Smith, Innisfail, Cobungra, who walked away with two other Pendarra-bred rams for $3000 and $2500.

Coincidentally, the Smiths bought the top-priced ram in the same sale in 2019 for $5500 from Pendarra.

"I did not expect to sell that many rams to be honest," Mr Pendergast said.

"We've had a few clients over the last two years who have gone out of sheep because they're at retirement age and have sold their farms as a result.

"We've also had three other former clients who have stopped breeding sheep altogether because of the shearer shortage so that cost us 20 rams, but in saying that we've found new buyers."

Overall, the Pendergasts sold 61 of 71 rams to average $1996.

Pendarra was one of six studs to sell rams in the sale, which included the Ah Sam family of Round Hill Merino stud, Omeo, who were the only principals to record a total clearance, with 20 rams topping at $5000 to average $2575.

The Fringe Merino stud, Briagolong, sold six of 12 rams to a top price of $2500 to average $708, Stockton Merino stud, Hillside, sold 18 of 20 rams to $3750 to average $1525 and Nicholson River Merino stud sold two of six rams to $1000 (twice).

First-time vendors and stud principals Luke and Casey Nicholls, Macehill Merino stud, Stockdale, sold five of their 12 rams to a top price of $2000 to average $500.

Across the sale, 111 of 140 rams sold to average $2182.

Elders Gippsland district wool manager Madi Gallagher said many rams were bought by clients in Gippsland, with odd pens bought by clients in Goulburn, NSW, Ballarat, Hamilton and Kyneton.

"I felt there was a good amount of steam throughout the sale ... and overall the mood was really good," she said.

"The average these rams sold for was above expectations, and good flock rams all sold really well."

Mrs Smith, who bought the top-priced ram, said it was one of many rams she had bought from the Pendergast family during a 20-year period.

"We just like their nice, long, white and stylish wool which has a lovely crimp," she said.

The Smiths run a mixed-farming operation near Omeo which includes a commercial flock of 5500 Merinos, including 1000 2023-drop lambs, and an average clip micron of 18.9.

"Seasonal conditions haven't been too bad this year, but we have had a few decent frosts and temperatures down to -8 and -6 degrees," Mrs Smith said.

"We could do with some rain even though we had a hail storm on Monday night because we only got eight millimetres out of it."

Among the largest volume buyers was I & G Newton, Euroa, who bought 10 rams to a total value of $13,000 and WJ Armit & Partners, Swifts Creek, which bought seven rams to the value of $12,000.

Moolort-based DA Coutts & Sons bought eight rams with a total spend of more than $20,000.

Twelve rams were bought by several clients who operated via AuctionsPlus.

Dean Coxon, Elders Kyneton, was one of the visiting agents who bought four rams to a top price of $3500 for an undisclosed grazier at Kyneton.