RIDGWAY Merino Stud continued a run of successful sales from Hamilton Sheepvention, Vic, where they sold five rams to $4250 and averaged $2700, to their on-property Poll Merino sale last Monday at Kulkami.
Ric, Gail, Matt Ridgway and family offered a very even team of 128 quality rams, 13 to 14 months, in their main auction with 114 sold at a good clearance rate of 89 per cent.
The top price of $3600 dropped $400 on last year's sale, with the average at $1214, also down $90, Fifty per cent of rams sold for $1000 to $1900, while only 11 sold for more than $2000.
Eight rams sold in the mini auction to $700 and averaged $544. A further 13 sold after the sale.
Brett Woods, Trundle, via Parkes, NSW, proved the adage that lot one is often the cheapest, he bought the first ram offered, R129, at $2800.
The top price was reached seven lots later with successful bidders Brian Martin and Wayne Sheriff, McLaren Vale, paying $3600 for Ridgway 27, a superb son of R29.
R27 had impressive wool figures of 18.9 micron, 2.8 standard deviation, 14.8 coefficient of variation, 99.9 per cent comfort factor and +22 for yearling clean fleece weight.
Its multi-purpose (DP) index was an impressive 160, the second highest in the catalogue.
They will use the ram to breed flock rams at their Keith property.
Return buyers Alastair and Deb MacAllan, Woodchester, purchased the second top priced ram for the second year in a row at $3300 for R9.
They bought three rams for an average price of $2600.
Other buyers included regular supporters S&Y Brady, Rhymney, Vic, four to $2100, averaging of $1775.
* Full report in Stock Journal, August 21, 2014 issue.