CONFIDENCE was high at the second sale in a month for Tatura-based stud Yentrac, who held a sale of their Southdowns and Poll Dorsets at the Ballarat showgrounds on Wednesday.
Overall, the sale sold 69 of 79 rams to $3000 for a Southdown ram, with an average of $1402.
A total clearance was achieved for the 49 Southdown rams on offer with an average of $1550.
Of the Poll Dorsets, 23 of 32 rams were sold to $1500 with an average of $1170.
Local volume buyers dominated the sale, with plenty of local Ballarat operations keen on buying big.
But it was a buyer of one solitary lot, Andrew Lakin, Allanwood, Lancefield, who paid the sale high of $3000 for Lot 4 Yentrac 681.
That ram was a first-shorn single ram and won the Southdown reserve champion ribbon at the 2023 Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo.
He recorded an eye muscle area of 26.80, with its sire being Ashley Park 798/20 and its dam being Yentrac 805/18.
Mr Lakin said he first saw him at the show, caught his eye with his good structure, and hopes to join him in March next year.
"Yentrac have always got a consistent line up of sheep so that means I can also breed consistently all the way through," he said.
"I was looking for a good, nice, upstanding ram that is good on his legs, and he ticks all the boxes."
Mr Lakin said the Lancefield region has had a reasonable season so far this year, and things were looking positive for the year ahead.
"The seasonal conditions are alright at the moment, but we need a bit more sun," he said.
"The grass is slowly getting going, but things are ticking along well."
Yentrac stud co-principal Rod McCartney said cheaper prices gave buyers confidence, which continued from their prime lamb sale held on their Tatura property earlier this month.
"When things are down, there's only one way to go, and once the meat works put out a few contracts, I think the job will strengthen a bit," he said.
"The time to buy is when things are a little bit shaky, and that's the time to go in when you can purchase good genetics and young ewes at a reasonable price.
"That can set you up for the next four or five years."
Mr McCartney said the past year had seen a few changes for the stud with a sale of their Burumbeet property and his daughter Katie also moving onto their Tatura farm to help with their stud operation.
The biggest volume buyer of the day was open-air Ballarat museum Sovereign Hill, who bought 14 Southdowns and nine Poll Dorsets to $2200 for an average of $1343.
Those Southdowns and Poll Dorsets will be used at Sovereign Hill's Narmbool commercial farming operation in Elaine.
A number of eager volume buyers bid competitively throughout the sale with Enhallow Farms, Mannibadar buying six Poll Dorset rams to $1400.
Bath Pastoral, Teesdale bought six Southdown rams which included the second highest lot sold on the day Lot 3 Yentrac 800, which sold for $2400.
The top price paid for a Poll Dorset at the sale was $1500 for Lot 48 Yentrac 262 Tw bought by J & D Moss, Ararat.
That ram had Springwaters 70 as its sire, who had been used as a ram lamb at Springwaters stud, Boorowa NSW.
