*95 of 130 Nudie rams sold to $10,000, av $1809
DESPITE Low Footprint Lamb's annual online Nudie ram sale having a slightly lower clearance rate from last year, stud principal Matt Kelly was overjoyed that new clients are coming on board.
Mr Kelly said he had also been buoyed a wider array of locations that buyers were coming from.
"We had several new buyers at the sale and excitingly will be sending our first lot of rams to Tasmania," he said.
He said previous clients were very supportive as well, with Blythvale Pastoral, Streatham purchasing 16 rams and Tim Dowdle from Irrewillipe purchasing 13.
"It's really pleasing to see these clients coming back year on year and increasing their investment in our Nudies," Mr Kelly said.
"It shows great faith in the work we are doing."
The stud sold 95 rams out of 130 on offer for an average of $1809, which was a 73 per cent clearance, slightly down on last year's 78pc clearance.
The top-priced ram was for Lot 12, which sold for $10,000 to Lochs Farming, Hordern Vale.
"[The ram is] a neat balanced ram with -1.25 for shedding EBV," Mr Kelly said.
The ram also recorded a maternal carcase production index of 132, a birth weight of 0.33 kilograms, a post-weaning weight of 11.9 kg and an eye muscle depth of 1.33.
The stud also sold 93 commercial ewe lambs for a $235 average all purchased by Blythvale Pastoral.
"This is the first time we have offered ewes at our annual sale and we were really pleased with how they went," Mr Kelly said.
He said buyers continued to show growing interest in worm-resistant Nudies.
"In recent years there's been a lot of talk from lamb producers interested in coming across from maternal composites to Nudies," he said.
"It is now a buyers market, with an availability of rams and ewes at reasonable prices, so this presents a great opportunity for lamb producers to make the switch and reduce their wool related costs and risks.".
Mr Kelly said a number of purchases occurred after the sale.
