AN improved seasonal start was instrumental in the ideal presentation of 59 high-performance White Suffolk rams and 23 SAMM rams at the 13th annual Galaxy Park, Tintinara, ram sale on Friday.
This translated into very good competition on the top rams in particular, lifting the clearance, top and average price on last year's sale.
In the White Suffolks, 59 were offered and 53 sold to $1300 five times averaging $857, up $86 on last year.
Fifteen mainly repeat buyers registered for the White Suffolk section and all were able to obtain their needs.
Alec and David Beggs had the biggest impact on the sale. Buying through Miller Whan & John's Kingston branch, they took nine rams paying to the $1300 top three times, but with a few later high-value purchases were able to bring their buying average down to $967. They selected the good-muscle lots in particular, their nine rams having an average eye muscle EBV of 2.0 and averaging a Carcase Plus index of 191.57.
Alastair Johnson, Mount Boothby Pastoral, Tintinara, through SAL Keith was another strong contributor with seven including one of the equal-top rams, averaging $1014.
Brenton Jones, Landmark Tintinara, was kept busy on the dais, taking 12 rams for three clients who could not attend. The biggest of these was Munro Nominees, Tintinara, with six to $1000 at a great-value $800 average.
David Skewes, through Landmark Strathalbyn, took five rams from $700 to $1200. Greg and Natasha Dinning, Mundulla, also went to the $1300 equal-top price for one of their two rams, then later received a bonus because one of their purchases was drawn out as the lucky lot and was thus free.
The offering of the top draft of SAMM rams, which included five of the stud's Royal Adelaide Show team, again met good competition at the top, but lacked depth of buying support.
* Full report in Stock Journal, September 4, 2014 issue.
