LOCAL and pastoral bidders helped lift the top price at the Radnor Poll Merino and Merino Stud on-property sale at Brinkley last Friday.
Roger and Gail Duell, Bowhill, paid $3600 - $300 more than they bid for last year's top-price ram - for a large-frame Poll with excellent eye muscle depth.
Mr Duell and his father Len, who have been buying from the stud for more than 25 years, took a further two rams to $2400.
Weighing in at 108.5 kilograms, the ram measured 21 microns, 2.8 standard deviation, 13.3 coefficient of variation, 99.6 per cent comfort factor, and 45 millimetres eye muscle depth.
Radnor again achieved high clearance rates, with the 57 of 60 Poll and Merino rams sold in the main auction, averaging $1270 - a $47 drop on last year.
A further 11 of 20 rams were sold in a mini-auction, these rams suiting value buyers at $550 each.
While Radnor co-principals Steve and Brett Koehler were pleased to see new faces in the crowd, long-term clients were the biggest buyers.
"Roger and his father before him have been great clients of ours for many, many years," Steve said. "They regularly top off-shear sales with wether lambs and older ewes. By spending the money here, they're getting the money back by topping the sales with their surplus sheep - that's where you make your money."
The second-top-price of $3200 was achieved twice, with Tim, Jo and Scott Starkey, Sanderston, and RM&LA Bormann, Murray Bridge, both taking home Poll rams with 41mm eye muscle depth.
Regular volume buyer Richard Anderson, Broken Hill, was a frequent bidder throughout the auction, taking 17 Poll and Merino rams to $1500.
Morrell's Pastoral, Murray Bridge, bought seven rams to $3000 for a 90.5kg Poll measuring 18.8 microns, 3.1SD, 16.5CV, 99.6CF and 39EMD.
* Full report in Stock Journal, August 15 issue, 2013.
