BIDDING was red hot in the first half of the top quality catalogue at Superior Wool Merinos' 12th annual ram sale at Tintinara on Friday, but opportunities arose in the second half, with 27 rams making less than $1000.
The extra numbers offered brought the average back on the 2018 sale, but SWM stud principal Richard Harkness was pleased to still achieve a total clearance of the 14- to 17-month-old rams.
In the main auction, 100 Poll Merinos cleared to $5400, averaging $2117.
Another 15 rams sold in the mini auction from $700 to $2500.
The two highest price rams were both by White River 558, which the Superior Wool Syndicate, which SWM is a member of, bought at the 2017 Classings Classic sale for $20,000.
New client James Mowbray, Millicent, outlaid the $5400 top price for lot 8 - the biggest bodied ram in the offering.
The 19-micron ram had a fleece testing of 2.8 standard deviation and coefficient of variation of 14.9, plus a good carcase with 43 millimetres eye muscle depth and 8mm fat depth.
RELATED READING: Ulooloo raises prices to stud record level
RELATED READING: Classings Classic achieves near full clearance
Repeat buyer Neville McGee, Cressy, Tas, spent $5000 on lot 15 - the sale's second-highest price.
The 17.4M ram had a 39.5EMD and 5mm fat and was also a heavy cutter, with a fleece weight 10 per cent above the average.
Mr McGee put together five rams for a $3300 average.
Rams sold from Tas to the South East, Mallee and Adelaide Hills.
Three buyers took home 10 rams or more, helping underpin the sale's success.
Hansen Farms, Coomandook, secured 13 rams averaging $2854; Burge Trading Trust, Padthaway, bought 13 rams averaging $1340; and Mallee Slopes took home 14 rams averaging $815.
- Start the day with all the big news in agriculture. Click here to sign up to receive our daily Stock Journal newsletter.
