SOUTH Australian studs bought the top and second-top rams for $10,000 and $5500 respectively at the 18th annual Booloola White Suffolk ram sale on Tuesday.
Booloola stud principals Shane and Amber Baker, Baringhup West, were thrilled with the result.
"Taking into account the state of the lamb market at the moment, the sale was the strongest sale we have ever had," Mr Baker said.
The stud sold a total clearance of 16 stud rams to a top of $10,000 and average of $3681, while 183 of 186 flock rams sold to $2200, averaging $1529.
The 2022 sale saw Booloola sell 18 specially-selected rams to average $6238, with 170 of 171 flock rams topping at $3600 and averaging $2177.
"Last year was fantastic, but our producers and those that supported us were getting great results as well, and they could justify the prices they were paying," Mr Baker said.
"I think this year's sale was actually stronger than last year when you consider the difference in saleyard and hook prices and sale averages."
He said the industry was having a hiccup at the moment but the outlook for lamb and protein worldwide was pretty high and the rams they purchased would last more than five years in the system.
He said the top-priced ram, Lot 9, was from an embryo flush program of six generations of females in his pedigree.
"[He's got that] depth and thickness and is an easy-doing type of ram that is commercially relevant these days," he said.
The top-priced ram was a July 2022-drop sire by Ashmore 20896 and had figures of +0.31 kilograms birth weight (BWT), +18.16kg post-weaning weight (PWWT), post-weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD) of +2.7 millimetres and Total Carcase Performance (TCP) index of 155.
Buyer Martin Harvey, Paxton White Suffolk stud, Western Flat, SA, said he was looking for a new set of bloodlines to use in his stud and had seen Booloola rams in Adelaide and Bendigo.
"We haven't used his blood before and it was a change as much as anything for us," he said.
The second top ram at $5500 was Lot 1, a June 2022-drop ram by Ashmore 190016, purchased by Balmar White Suffolk stud, Kangaroo Island, SA.
Balmar stud principal Brendon Ebsary said they had been following the Booloola sales and liked that the stud had stayed true to the White Suffolk.
Mr Ebsary said they were looking for a ram with style, meat and "really-balanced figures".
"He's not the highest for figures but they are all in moderation and that's what we wanted in our stud," he said.
He said prior to the sale they had been looking at two other rams and was going to buy over AuctionsPlus, but decided they needed to be at the sale if a "plan B" was needed.
"We probably paid a bit more than we wanted," he said.
Volume buyers of the flock rams were Ian Wakefield, Tophut Station, Pooncarie, NSW, who bought 28 rams and his son Tom who bought 27.
Tom Wakefield said they had purchased lambs the last three years and had ramped up the numbers this year.
He said the Booloola-bred lambs did well in their rangelands-style country.
Ian Wakefield said the season had been extremely favourable this year and they had been able to turn off lambs that were "killable".
The sale was conducted by Elders and streamed on AuctionsPlus.
