THERE was strong bidding, both in the shed and online, for the Inverbrackie Border Leicester 27th on-property sale at Finniss.
During the main auction, 215 rams went under the hammer with 205 sold to a top of $4400 and an average $1699.
A further 75 rams were then offered in the mini auction, with 40 sold to $1200, averaging $1042, with an overall sale average of $1595 for the 245 rams.
The sale's peak came at lot 62, for a ram with a maternal $ index of 180.2, a 16 post-weaning weight and 19.8 adult weight, which were all in the top 1 per cent of the Border Leicester breed.
It also had a weaning weight of 8.3, PW eye muscle depth of 1.7, and 21pc numbers lamb weaned figure, which were all in the top 10pc of the breed.
The top price was paid by new client Charlie Tuck, Llanver, Narromine, NSW, who was looking for a "high performance" Border Leicester.
Mr Tuck, who farms with parents' Anthony and Vicki Tuck, and wife Kathryn, said he was impressed with the figures coming out of Inverbrackie and wanted to see what the rams could do for their operation.
It would be used to breed their own rams.
"It had good growth figures across the board," he said.
"I was concentrating on the top 1pc of the breed."
He said the ram would be joined as an "impact sire" with their locally-sourced Merinos for first-crosses.
'Hopefully we get earlier growth rates, to get rid of the wethers earlier," he said.
The second highest price of $4400 was achieved at lot 117, bought by BA&DJ Paxton, through Elders Kingscote.
The twin ram had a 10WWT, 16.3PWWT, 2PEMD, and 184.5 Maternal $ index - all within the top 1pc of the breed - as well as a16.6AWR, 14.7YGFW, 19pcNLW and 2MWWT, all in the top 10pc of the breed.
The Paxtons bought four rams all up, averaging $3350.
E&S Davidson, Morton stud, Lucindale, bought lot 9 at $4000, a twin with 8.9WWT, 15.5PWWT, 20.1AWT, and 173.2 maternal $ index, which were all in the top 1pc of the breed.
For the third year the sale was interfaced with AuctionsPlus, with 48 rams through the online site in the main auction and another 15 rams sold to AuctionsPlus clients in the mini auction, and rams heading to NSW, Vic and the South East.
Volume buyer was repeat interstate client Nick Gay, Huelen Pastoral, Cowra, NSW, who was bidding throughout the catalogue.
He picked up 31 rams in the main auction to $2300, averaging $1539, and another four in the mini auction at $1200, for an overall average of $1500 for the 35 rams.
Mr Gay said 25 of those rams were for his use with another 10 for one of his clients.
He runs a self-replacing Merino flock as well as producing first-cross ewes and wethers.
He has been buying Inverbrackie rams since 2014 and said his first-cross clients had come to see the benefits in the genetics.
Mr Gay said the main figures he was chasing were weaning weight, post-weaning weight, positive fat and eye muscle, as well as number of lambs weaned.
"I don't see the benefits in that but my clients do," he said.
RELATED READING: Inverbrackie Borders sell to $5000
Also buying in volume was Woodside, Moutajup, Vic, bidding through AuctionsPlus, which picked up 21 rams to $1200, averaging $1038, in the main auction, as well as 14 to $1200 in the mini auction, averaging $985, with an overall average of $1017 for the 35 rams.
Bradford Hills, Shelbourne, Vic, also bidding through AuctionsPlus, bought 10 rams to $2200, averaging $1580.
GT&DJ Crettenden, Cummins, bought 12 rams to $2400, averaging $2008.
Ian Farley, Marmon Pastoral, Jabuk, took home 10 rams to $1900, averaging $1350.
Twin Creek Pastoral, Kapunda, bought nine rams at the front end of the catalogue to $2400, averaging $1667.
Inverbrackie stud principal Lynton Arney said the sale results were pleasing at a time when ewe numbers had been reduced.
He said many of his clients came from drought-affected parts of the eastern states, so he was heartened to see many of them still buying his rams.
"The other pleasing thing, when I was talking to a few newer clients, they're starting to see the progeny, that's from the ewes they're breeding," he said.
"It is the progeny that counts."
He said the strength of the sale, particularly with those buying through AuctionsPlus, was an indication that commercial breeders were using Lambplan data in their sire selections.
Mr Arney said all bar three rams in the sale were in the top 25pc of the breed, Australia-wide, for their performance data.
Elders stuck stock auctioneer Tony Wetherall said there was an outstanding lineup of rams, both on the data and visually, while bidding remained strong throughout the sale with rams heading throughout SA and interstate.
The sale was conducted by Elders and Landmark with Mr Wetherall and Landmark stud stock's Gordon Wood sharing the gavel.
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