A MERINO ram from the back of the catalogue attracted the top price at the 31st Radnor field day and auction on Friday, held for the first time at the stud's Langhorne Creek property.
Lot 54 saw bids reach $3900, from repeat buyer Tim Truscott, Minnamurra, Naracoorte.
The ram weighed 104 kilograms and had fleece measurements of 20.4 micron, 3 standard deviation, 14.7 coefficient of variation and a 99.6 per cent comfort factor.
It had an eye muscle depth of 40 and a fat score of 4.
Mr Truscott also paid the sale's second top-price of $3400 for a Poll Merino ram which had 21.3M, 3.4SD, 99.4pc CF and 3.4CV.
The 86.5kg ram had a fat score of 6 and 43EMD.
This was Mr Truscott's second year at the sale.
Last year, he paid the top price and bought seven rams while this year he took 11, along with another Radnor ram he bought at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Bendigo, Vic.
Radnor principal Steve Koehler said the past few years had seen a swing towards polled Merinos, leading him to include more in the sale.
This year only 10 of the 60 rams offered were horned.
"There was a very good line-up of horned rams and we could have put a few more in," Mr Koehler said.
He said he had moved away from horned sheep, with only 400 of the 1200 registered ewes on the property Merinos.
His other focus was to breed a "more meaty" Merino, to cater to clients looking for wethers or cast-for-age ewes.
Mr Koehler said for the past eight to nine years he had been looking to increase meat, without sacrificing wool quality or quantity.
All up, 59 of the 60 rams cleared, with the final ram bought after the sale.
There were 24 more offered in a mini auction, where all sold to a top of $1600, averaging $672.
"It was a wow of a day," Mr Koehler said.
"It gives you a bit of a spring in your step."
Volume buyer RJ Anderson, Wertago Station, Broken Hill, NSW, secured 34 rams to $1600 from the main and mini auctions.
He then bought 55 more grade rams from the stud.
Morrells Pastoral Co, Bowhill, bought five rams to $3000 while VL&JK Eichler took three to $2000.
Elders stud stock's Tom Penna was auctioneer.
Mr Koehler said it was history repeating as Mr Penna was also the auctioneer at their first sale at Brinkley.
Elders and Landmark officiated at the sale.
