The stud principal of the Chrome sheep stud, Hamilton, was pleased to achieve nearly 80 per cent of their spring ram sale on Thursday.
While the clearance rate and average prices were down as expected, from last year, stud principal Matt Tonissen remained positive and said the stud had a "great day".
"Given where the markets headed, I think it's been a very satisfactory result," he said.
"It's testament to the sheep, [and] it's testament to the job they're doing for our clients.
Mr Tonissen said many repeat clients had returned for their annual sale, but he was pleased that several new clients were bidding and had "seen something in what the stud was doing with their Maternal rams."
While Chrome aimed to produce a flock of sheep which did not lamb no earlier than June, the stud decided to introduce some early lambing genetics at the request of some clients who wanted to lamb in May due to cropping programs.
Mr Tonissen said while he primarily focused on type, there had been a shift in people chasing performance data.
"I think that's a little bit fraught with danger, and typically, you can come unstuck, and we had a couple of comments today from people that hadn't seen our sheep for a couple of years was that we were making it hard for them because they can't differentiate between the shape," he said,
"In actual fact, it's making it easier for them because they can select on the traits that they want to select and not have to worry about looking for structural faults."
The stud sold 464 out of 598 Chromedale, Perendale, Coopworth, ELF, ICON Southie, ICON 25 and Poll Dorset rams with an overall average of $923.
While averages were down, per the broader sheep market, the stud achieved a top price, which was $100 cheaper than last year's high of $4200.
Agents sold 263 of 369 maternal rams to $4100 with an average of $1006, while 103 of 120 ICON Southie rams were sold to $2400 with an average of $787. and 27 of 30 ICON 25 rams sold to $1600 three times with an average of $981.
Poll Dorset rams rounded out the sale, with 75 of 79 of those rams sold to $1400 with an average $773.
This year's top price was once again within the biggest maternal offering at the sale, the Chromedales, of which 264 of 270 rams sold to $4100, to an average of $1047.
The top-priced ram was Lot 2 3011tw, sold to regular buyer Mark Troeth, Heywood.
The ram recorded figures of 0.5 birth weight, 8.9 weaning weight, 12.8 post-weaning weight, -0.3 post-weaning fat depth, and 3.0 in post eye muscle depth.
The biggest volume buyer of the sale was Jakabul Pty Ltd, Apsley, who purchased 44 rams.
Kerr & Co livestock agent and auctioneer Zac van Wegen, Hamilton, said the sale had gone as expected, and there was good demand through the sale while buyers "reined in their expenses a bit".
"We knew particularly the material side of the job was going to be a little bit tougher based on what we'd heard and what we've seen," Mr van Wegen said.
He said local buyers were the main supporters of the sale, but other buyers outside of the region were active.
"A lot of local clients were key, but there was a volume buyer from down near the Bairnsdale area, and a major Poll Dorset buyer locally from the Caripook area was also active.
"But there was a good support base from Tasmania to Central New South Wales, really, and they've got pretty strong southeast South Australia on materials and terminals."
