STUDS have bought the two top-priced rams from Mertex Texel and White Suffolk's annual auction.
The Antwerp stud sold the top White Suffolk, Lot 1, for $3200.
The ram was purchased by Weirs White Suffolk and Border Leicester stud, Euroa.
The top Texel ram, Lot 114, sold for $3000 to Andrew Hall, Wirrilla Texel stud, Manoora, SA.
Mr Hall said he bought the Texel because the ram "had a beautiful frame on him".
"He was quite narrow at the front and had a magnificent, deep hindquarter," he said.
He said the ram stood very well on his feet.
He said the ram's intramuscular fat and shear force measurements would also be of importance "down the track".
The stud sold 101 of the 110 White Suffolk rams offered to $3200 and averaged $1202, while 10 of 15 of the Texel rams sold to $3000 and averaged $1310.
Mertex stud co-principal Tim Jorgensen said the sale recorded a lower clearance rate than last year, but he was happy with the outcome.
"Last year we only had about four of the White Suffolks passed in and a complete clearance of the Texels," he said.
"We had four or five new guys that came along and bought rams."
He said his buyers reported good feedback on the carcase attributes and doing ability of their rams.
"They have longevity; they stand up," he said.
He said the top White Suffolk was "very alert".
"He had a good, thick, wide loin," he said.
"He had a fair bit of presence."
He said the top Texel had attracted a lot of interest from potential buyers.
Lot 1 was a 136-kilogram twin, sired by 210633, out of 180429.
He had a birth weight (BWT) of 0.47kg, a weaning weight (WWT) of 10.8kg and a post-weaning weight (PWWT) of 16.09kg.
The June 2022-drop ram's post-weaning fat (PFAT) measurement was -0.65, his post-weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD) was 2.3 millimetres and he had a Terminal Carcase Production (TCP) index measurement of 144.
His lean meat yield (LMY) was measured at 4.29, with an intramuscular fat (IMF) of -0.81 and a shear force 5 (SHF5) measurement of 5.13.
Meanwhile, Lot 114 weighed 100.5kg and was a June 2022-drop ram.
His BWT was 0.32kg, his WWT measured 8.35kg and PWWT was 11.34kg.
He had a PFAT measurement of -0.7, a PEMD of 2.96mm and TCP of 148.2.
The ram's LMY was 4.99, he had an IMF measurement of -0.68 and a SHF5 of 0.33.
Driscoll, McIllree & Dickinson livestock agent Brock Quick said while the average was down, buyers still seemed keen to secure rams.
"They were just not as keen to go as hard as they had in the past," he said.
"The rams were outstanding."
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
