A TRAIT leader in worm resistance among the maternal breeds was the $1600 top ram at the first Castle Camps Border Leicester and White Suffolk ram sale at Keith on September 26.
The ram - 3327 - with a Pfec (faecal egg count) of -80.4 drew the admiration of Lynton Arney, Inverbrackie stud, Strathalbyn, and was described by auctioneer Laryn Gogel as a "four-ticker in a three-tick system" for his breed type and performance figures.
His sire Castle Camps Top Notch 110420 was the highest-ranked Border ram for Pfec in the August 2014 Sheep Genetics run and his son surpassed that.
The twin-born ram was a mid-August 2013-drop and had a maternal Border $ index of 124.47.
"He is extreme for low worm egg count which is really important for sheep flocks and will be even more so in the future," Mr Arney said.
"He has a nice balance of figures with positive muscle and quite good growth."
It was unfortunate that they would not be able to use the high-ranking ram for natural matings, because of Castle Camp's non-assessed MN OJD status, but Inverbrackie will collect semen in the sale topper for AI programs.
Castle Camps stud principals Ian and Sue Carr have been breeding Border Leicesters since 1979 and although less well known, White Suffolks since 1993. They decided it was time to hold an auction instead of private selection to give all their clients equal opportunity to select their from entire drop of rams.
Strong local support buyers from Lameroo to Mount Gambier made the sale a first-up success.
In the breakdown all 60 White Suffolk rams averaged a solid $656 and 30 of 40 Border Leicesters averaged $727.
"It was really good for our first sale - we were pleased people were happy enough to buy our rams and hope they feel the rams were good value," Mr Carr said.
"We will be back with similar numbers next year."
The top-price White Suffolk ram - a June 2013-drop son of Waratah 110078 - sold for $1050 to SR&HM Graetz, Willalooka.
The Graetzs were also volume buyers with 10 rams averaging $810.
The Verco family, Marcollat Pastoral Co, Marcollat, were the sale's largest buyers with 14 White Suffolk rams averaging $668.
* Full report in Stock Journal, October 2, 2014 issue.