Bids thick and fast at Flairdale

Bids came thick and fast in the front row, the first 10 rams averaging a cracking $3310 including the $5400 sale topper.

But there was also plenty of great-value buying for the largely repeat clients throughout the catalogue, with 26 rams making $1000 or less.

In the breakdown Wayne, Lindy and Matt Lehmann sold 50 of 69 rams displaying great carcase and wool attributes for a $1534 average - up $139 on 2014.

The stud's sheep have proved their ability to stand up in both high and low-rainfall areas, and rams again sold to a wide geographical area from Tas, western Vic and Kangaroo Island to the South East and Mid and Upper North.

A couple of the Upper South East stud's clients were absent due to the adverse seasonal conditions, impacting on the clearance rate.

For the first time Flairdale made available Merinoselect Australian Sheep Breeding Values on all lots and this was well-received as part of the comprehensive information in the catalogue.

The $5400 sale topper was an AI-bred son of Leahcim 858 with 20.4-micron white, long-stapled wool.

Its other raw fleece measurements included a 2.7 standard deviation, 13.2 coefficient of variation and 99.8 per cent comfort factor.

The large-framed, square-bodied ram was ranked highest in the catalogue on the MP+ and DP+ index with figures of 142.41 and 143.83.

He was knocked down to long-time client Jeff Burgess, Gulnare - one of his three purchases.

At the $4800 second-top price was another upstanding 21.4M son of Leahcim 627 with a heavy greasy fleece weight of 128.2pc.

It was bought by GA&JL Buchanan, Karoonda.

Battersby Family Trust, Orroroo, led the volume buyer's list with six rams between $600 and $900.

Also active was Dale Paxton, Newland, KI, taking bought five to $2600 averaging $2200, and Laskey Farming Trust, Orroroo bought rams to $4200 high twice averaging $2800.

J&J Lehmann made the most of the good buying with five rams at $600 for Redcliffs Station east of Burra.

Stud principal Wayne Lehmann was pleased that the top-end rams sold ''very well'' and that many of their regular clients were able to "buy well".

He said the ram lambs on display for the 2016 sale also attracted plenty of favourable comments, including sons of Collinsville Regal 242 - the $66,000 sale topper from the 2014 Adelaide ram sale, Wallaloo Park 54, Flairdale Billy, and another AI mating of Leahcim 858.

Elders stud stock marketing manager Tom Penna said there was "tremendous heat on selected rams" which were large-framed and strong-figured but the sale was "two or three buyers short at the bottom end."

"It created an opportunity for their station clients to buy rams at $600," he said.

Landmark stud stock auctioneer Richard Miller said the "front end of the catalogue sold extremely well with plenty of demand for the earlier rams in the sale''.

"The depth of quality continued through the sale but it just lacked a couple more volume buyers ," he said.

Elders and Landmark were selling agents.