SALE SUMMARY
2017 2016
Offered 56 56
Sold 52 49
Top $4800 $4400
Av $1669 $1559
North Cowie Merino and Poll Merino stud marked its 30 years of sales by setting a new record for the highest price.
The Warooka stud’s top Merino ram sold for $4800, while the overall sale average also lifted about $110 on last year’s results.
For the third year in a row, the top price rams was bought by Phil and Sandy Gutsche, Yorketown.
The 16-month-old ram weighed 111 kilograms with an eye muscle depth of 37.4 millimetres, a fat score of 5mm, and a fleece measuring 20.5 micron, 3.1 for the standard deviation, coefficient of variation of 15.1 and comfort factor of 99.5 per cent.
Stud co-principal Joseph Murdoch said the ram’s sire Buddy, which was an East Bungaree sire that had bred exceptionally well for North Cowie.
“It’s a big, upstanding ram,” he said.
Mr Gutsche, who has been buying at North Cowie for about 27 years, said the rams exhibited “good doing-ability” and frame.
“This ram had good bold, deep crimpy style wool, which is what the industry needs to breed,” he said.
The Gutsches bought three rams in total for an average $3533.
All 22 Merino rams on offer sold for an average $1552, an increase from the $1160 average of 2016.
In the Poll Merinos, 30 sold from 34 offered, to a top of $4200 and an average $1776.
The top Poll Merino was bought by repeat buyer Altus Pastoral, Lameroo, and measured a fleece with 20M, 2.8SD, 14CV and CF99.5pc.
It weighed 97kg with EMD of 39.2mm, fat of 5mm and a greasy fleece weight of 185pc.
The ram was sired by KP333, a Kamora Park ram bought by North Cowie for $18,000 at the Adelaide Ram Sale in 2015.
KP333 also sired the ram that won Champion all purpose ram at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo, Vic, this month.
Mr Murdoch said the ram had long-stapled fleece, with “gutsy, well-nourished wool on a good carcase”.
Craig Altus said the ram was big and bold.
“It had free-growing wool and is very open,” he said.
“It will do well in the Mallee environment.”
The Altus family bought four Poll Merino rams in the main auction, averaging $2700, as well as one in the mini auction at $1000.
The mini auction resulted in 19 of 40 Poll Merinos sold to $1000, averaging $657, and 49 of 50 Merinos sold, also to $1000, averaging $667.
The overall volume buyer was the Hilder family, Wirryilka Pastoral, Broken Hill, NSW.
The Hilders, who have bought from North Cowie for 29 of the 30 sales, purchased 14 Merino rams in the main auction to $1400, averaging $700.
They then bought 40 Merino rams in the mini auction to $800 as well as some private selection.
WMM&A Pengilly, Warooka, bought the second top price Merino ram at $4600, as well as another two rams, averaging $2167.
Ballater, Curramulka, bought four rams to $3400, averaging $2225.
North Cowie co-principal Garry Murdoch said he was pleased with the sale results and how the rams presented.
“Up until a month ago we had a pretty tough season, although we’ve had good rain since,” he said.
“One thing that doesn’t change on a ram, regardless of the season, is the genetics and we’ve got a good genetic base.”
Garry said the results came on top of one of his biggest highlights in the past 30 years, winning a broadribbon at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Bendigo, Vic, as well as catching up with the former stud classer Charles O’Connor, who worked with the stud for close to 20 years.
Tony Hilder said, in total, they will take home 73 rams from North Cowie.
The sale was conducted by Elders and Landmark with Elders’ stud stock’s Tony Wetherall and Landmark stud stock’s Leo Redden sharing the auctioneer duties.
Mr Wetherall was also the auctioneer at the stud’s first sale, 30 years ago.