Glen Holme Dohnes gains record $1564 average

The Kelly family sold 81 of 91 paddock prepared rams, mainly April 2018 and June 2018 drop, for a $1564 average.

This was up nearly $100 on their 2018 sale.

The sale high of $3000 came at lot 43 for an 18.4 micron ram.

Like many in the catalogue the sale topper had a number of Australian Sheep Breeding Values in the top 10pc of the breed including a Dohne plus index of 179.8, as well as eye muscle depth at 1.4 and 15.9 clean fleece weight.

The successful buyers were David and Joylene Rich, Serviceton, Vic.

They bought five rams for a $2040 average, including the $2800 second highest price.

The other two $2800 rams were knocked down to the Krause family, Western Flat and CJ&AL Curnow, Avon.

KR&RA Sherriff & Sons, Keith, were the sale's volume buyer with 10 rams to $2000, averaging $1440.

Long-time supporters NC Sommerville & Co, Hilltown, bought seven rams to $1800, while Argyle Transport, Millicent, secured six to $2000.

Stud principal Allen Kelly was pleased with the solid bidding right through the catalogue and strong buyer support from across the state.

'We are getting greater and greater confidence in our breeding values and the figures are getting better all the time so it is good the market is rewarding us for it," he said.

"For us it is a balance of wool production, wool quality and growth rates not one at the expense of other, as well as structural soundness."

The 171 young commercial Dohne ewes also sold well, averaging $231.

The tops which were May shorn sold for the fourth year in a row to a client at Keith for $235.

The successful sale caps off a fantastic year for Glen Holme which won the grand champion Dohne ram at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo in July and champion fleece at the recent Royal Adelaide Show off a ram, GH 16-2503 which is part of the Balmoral Sire Evaluation Trial in Vic.

Landmark Riverton conducted the sale with Leo Redden the auctioneer.