IT was a total clearance and spike in average at Glenville Merino and Poll Merino's 53rd annual ram sale at Cowell on August 5, as buyers relished the high-quality meat and fibre catalogue on offer.
The on-property sale, one of the largest on the Eyre Peninsula, presented 140 March-shorn Polls in the main auction. The 14 month olds averaged $2263, up from $1934 last year, with the sale topper fetching $7000.
Glenville stud principal Barry Smith said the top ram - with a 21.1 micron fleece measuring 99.5 per cent comfort factor, 100pc greasy fleeceweight, 15.9 coefficient of variation, 3.3 standard deviation, and impressive bodyweight percentage of 118 - was an "exceptional" example of the flock's potential.
"W20-551 is a long-bodied, tall ram with huge outlook and robust nose. A real masculine sheep that is going to grow into a massive sire, with good crimpy wool," he said.
"A feature of the sale was the bright, crimpy, soft handling wool, that microns and tests well, on a big, meaty frame."
Declaring the paddock-run stock as "probably the best quality we've ever had," Mr Smith said the rams were representative of market trends towards dual-purpose rams with solid meat producing tendencies, coupled with traditional wool quality.
Top-ram buyer and long-time client Graham Morphett, Alma Merinos, NSW, has been travelling to Glenville for eight years, with the Cowell stud's stock offering "exactly what we wanted."
"We brought five of the biggest rams Barry can produce, with very good quality wool, he said.
"They suit the market at the moment and are the perfect fit for our income stream, which is 50pc wool, 50pc meat."
The sale drew an impressive 59 registered bidders from across the state, including five new buyers, plus, interstate interest including Will Roberts, Victoria Downs, Qld (one at $3400).
The mini-auction provided the opportunity for buyers to top-up with quality for less. Buyers took 30 of the 33 rams offered by the Smith family, at an average of $735, while the topper went for $1200, almost doubling 2013's $650 best.
Glenville has 150 more rams for private selection.
* Full report in Stock Journal, August 14, 2014 issue.
