TWO Eyre Peninsula studs set new average records at the opening sales of the season this week while a third sale on Yorke Peninsula reached a stud record top price.
Brimanna Poll Merino stud, Yeelanna, opened the 2017 ram sale season on Monday with a $2365 average – a massive $507 up on the previous year’s record result.
On Tuesday, Joe and Tracey Dahlitz backed up the strong start with another record average of $2525 for their Roemahkita Poll Merino stud at Cummins, which was $413 up on last year.
The Wednesday North Cowie sale reached a new stud highest price of $4800, up from $4600 two years ago, while the overall average was $1669, up from $1559 in 2016.
Landmark SA stud stock manager Gordon Wood said the opening sales boded well for the state’s upcoming ram auctions.
“It’s comforting to see people’s continued confidence in the Merino industry, even in such a tight season, people can still see real value and profitability in sheep production," he said.
Elders SA stud stock manager Tony Wetherall said it was good to see such strong results.
“The season might be dry in places, but people still need to invest in their sheep, because they are making good money and will continue to do so,” he said.