Ram sale season sets records

Two of the state's auctioneers agreed it was one of the best they had seen from the rostrum, buoyed by strong returns for lamb and mutton, and the Eastern Market Indicator near 1200 cents a kilogram for much of the season.

The three-month long season which ended in the past week had many highlights including the SA Stud Merino Breeders multi-vendor ram sale at the Royal Adelaide Show which topped at $38,000 and averaged nearly $9000 - believed to be the highest in 25 years.

A $13,500 national Suffolk ram record was set by Alastair and Jayne Day, Allendale stud, Bordertown, at their on-property sale, and Clayton and Andrea Rowett, Ulandi Park, Marrabel, achieved a national Poll Dorset flock ram average of $1883 for 110 rams.

Bob and Idrienne Neill, Wheetelande stud, Farrell Flat, received a new national record of $4750 for a White Suffolk ewe at the Adelaide Elite Stud Sheep sale.

Elders stud stock manager Tony Wetherall said a major swing back to Merinos resulted in "tremendous" sales for the breed.

This included the return of Collinsville, Hallett, to on-property selling after a seven-year hiatus, with a $20,000 top price and $2148 average for 200 rams.

Tom and Laura Davidson, Moorundie Park stud, Gulnare, also had a $583 lift in average to $2190 for 180 rams.

"Before the season we expected averages to lift slightly as they do most years but a lot of this year's sales lifted substantially compared to last year," Mr Wetherall said.

"This was in line with what the wool, sheep and lamb market has been doing and how the season was travelling early on."

"Some of the Prime SAMM and Dohne sales did struggle for clearance but there were some exceptions."

Mr Wetherall said most of the maternal and terminal sales also exceeded expectations, although the dry seasonal conditions impacted on some late sales.

"The last week or two of South East sales could have been even better if the season had held out and it had been a normal season," he said.

Buyers were also more confident using Australian Sheep Breeding Values in selection decisions. Mr Wetherall said they were not as worried about micron but focused on carcase traits and wool cutting ability.

He said there were significantly less rams in the paddock compared to previous years given strong Chinese export orders for ram lambs earlier in the year and many increasing on-property sale numbers rather than relying on late-paddock sales.

Landmark stud stock manager Gordon Wood said it was easily the best season he had seen in his decade in seedstock, in terms of results and quality.

"Most stud breeders at the start of the season would have been pleased with a carbon copy of 2014 which was a good year for averages, but we have easily surpassed this in 2015," he said.

"People were bidding freely and in a lot of cases they weren't prepared to be beaten on the rams they wanted."

Mr Wood said buyers had become much more savvy with ASBVs.

The traits they focused on depended on their production system and location but across the maternal breeds it was evident that traits for number of lambs weaned and rams with positive fat were in strong demand.

"The positive fat is a message which is being driven home by (Meat & Livestock sponsored) Bred Well Fed Well workshops as a driver for getting ewes back in lamb, and it is being acted on," Mr Wood said.