SALE SUMMARY
2019 2018
Offered 85 79
Sold 83 71
Top $6000 $5800
Av $2079 $2066
Calcookara Poll Merino stud held its annual on-property sale at Cowell and reached a $6000 top price, $200 up on last year's sale.
The stud offered an increased lineup of rams this season, selling 83 of the 85 offered, for a $2079 sale average.
The $6000 top price ram was sold to long-term buyer of 15 years, David Foster, Louth Bay.
It was sired by Hynam 6741 that was bought for $12,000 at the 2017 Murray Bridge Classings Classic Ram Sale.
It carried a 17 micron fleece with 14.5 coefficient of variation, 2.5 standard deviation and 99.6 comfort factor, along with a post weaning greasy fleece weight of 102.3 per cent, a hogget body weight of 83 kilograms, post weaning eye muscle depth of 31.3 millimetres and a post weaning fat depth of 2.7mm.
The $5200 second-highest price ram was sold to McPiggery Partnership, Lameroo.
It measured a 17.2M fleece, 14.9CV, 2.6SD and 99.4CF, with a 108.7pc PWGFW and HBWT of 84.5kg.
Stud principal Brenton Smith said he was "extremely pleased" with the sale's result.
"We took a punt and put an extra five to six rams in the lineup and it paid off, we had the demand so it was great," he said.
"A couple of our volume buyers returned to sourcing rams again after such a tough season last year too."
Mr Smith also said the top price had great "breeding, lustrous wool" and carcase.
"We considered retaining it as a stud sire but decided to sell instead," he said.
DB&JS Hunt, Mundulla, secured a draft of seven rams to $3200, averaging $2428 and Hancock Farming Enterprise, Warrachie, also secured seven rams to $2600, averaging $1657.
NV&EJ Byerlee, Orroroo, bought five to $2800, averaging $1920, and RC&CS Hannemann, Cleve, four to $3200, twice, averaging $2850.
The sale was conducted by Elders and Landmark with stud stock's Tony Wetherall and Gordon Wood sharing the auctioneer duties.
-VANESSA BINKS
"Faultless" ram tops at $6000
A Calcookara stud ram "well-suited" for higher rainfall parts of the Eyre Peninsula was snapped up for $6000 by a long-term buyer at its sale last week.
Louth Bay producer David Foster secured the top price ram and hoped it would help maintain "soft rolling skin" and crimpy wool in his Merino ewe flock.
"We need free-growing wool to release the moisture from the wool," he said.
"The ram will help maintain our 18-micron wool too."
Mr Foster secured a further two rams, averaging $4600.
Landmark stud stock's Gordon Wood commended the top price ram for its "faultless" traits.
"The entire lineup had fantastic crimpy and nourished wool but the top ram was hard to fault," he said.
