SALE SUMMARY
2017 2016
Offered 194 182
Sold 191 172
Top $7200 $6200
Av $2059 $1695
COMPETITION from five states produced an impressive increase in top price and average at Kamora Park Poll Merino stud’s annual ram sale on Friday at Sandalwood.
In the breakdown, 191 of 194 big, plain bodied rams with bright, long stapled, free growing and well nourished wools averaged $2059 – up $364 on 2016.
The evenness of quality from lot one to the final lot was a credit to Vendors Colin, Julie, Katelyn and Wade Boughen presented an even quality of sheep, while the strong state of the industry, overnight rain and the forecast for more gave confidence to the 56 registered buyers.
The line-up sold well throughout with the top 20 rams averaging $3670, while the next 20 averaged only $590 less.
The $7200 top price ram was lot 12, KP325 – a 19.6 micron son of KP333 which had impressed many.
Its fleece measurements included 2.6 standard deviation, 13.3 coefficient of variation and 99.8 per cent comfort factor.
Its Australian Sheep Breeding Values included a yearling weight of +6.7 and a dual purpose index of 151.
Craig and Jed Keller, Keller Partners, Ramsgate stud, Tintinara, staved off strong competition for the ram which had cut 7.6 kilograms with six months growth.
Craig said the ram was an “all round package”.
“It has tremendous barrel, lustrous fibre with figures that back up its visual excellence, plus we have confidence in its breeding potential, being sired by the proven fibre and meat ram in KP333,” he said.
A semen share was taken up by Scott Welke, Wesswood Poll, Cascade, WA, through Classings Ltd’s Bill Walker.
R&CS Rudiger, Karoonda, paid the $4600 second highest price for KP358 – another powerful KP333 son.
A big reason for the $364 lift in average was the stronger middle ground prices, with more buyers prepared to go to higher levels.
Twelve rams sold for $4000 or more and another 24 exceeded $3000. But there was value throughout the sale, with more than a quarter of the catalogue making $1000 or less.
Strong supporters John and Paul Wegner, Wegner Bros, Karoonda, bought 23 rams to $3600, averaging $2513.
Operating at the budget end of the catalogue was volume buyer Andrew Wall, Wall & Neindorf, Langidoon Station, via Broken Hill, NSW, who took home 14 rams averaging $750, plus 31 rams privately post-sale.
Adam Bradley, Platinum Livestock, Keith, bought 11 rams averaging $1818 for Marcollat Pastoral, while LD&S Stasinowsky & Co, Mantung, via Karoonda, bought 10 rams averaging $1290.
Landmark Karoonda conducted the sale, with Gordon Wood and Richard Miller the auctioneers.