WITH important clients based interstate, Ridgway Poll Merino stud decided to hold its annual on-property ram sale in tandem with AuctionsPlus for the first time near Lameroo on Monday.
And opening the sale up to an online audience paid off for Ric, Gail, Matt and Rachel Ridgway, Kulkami, with five bidders from NSW and Vic helping underpin the sale, with another two on the phone with local agents.
This was on top of the 45 buyers that registered at the sale, who helped the Ridgways to sell 142 rams from 151 offered under the hammer to $9200, averaging $2391.
Last year the stud sold all 140 rams offered to a record $12,600, averaging $2448.
Ric Ridgway said he was happy with this year's result considering they had increased the head count slightly.
"So the clearance rate wasn't as good as last year, but we still sold the same amount and price remained strong even down to the last row," he said.
"It was also great to see new buyers among our regulars."
Another four rams sold straight after the sale.
The $9200 top price ram sold through AuctionsPlus to return client Bill Ryan, Curragh, Oxley, NSW, who bought three rams in total averaging $5600.
The top lot, sired by Gunallo 295, was an April 2019-drop, weighing 120 kilograms, with an eye muscle depth of 48.5 millimetres and 9.5mm fat depth.
The 20.8M ram also had impressive wool tests of 2.8 standard deviation, 13.5 coefficient of variation and 99.8 per cent comfort factor. It also had outstanding MerinoSelect figures, including a yearling clean fleece weight of 27.5 and yearling staple length of 14.7.
Also buying on AuctionsPlus was another loyal client, Tubbo Station from NSW's Riverina, who paid handsomely for just the one lot at $7200.
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The sale's second highest-price ram at $8000 was bought by Duane Simon from neighbouring business McPiggery, also in a singular purchase.
That was an April 2019-drop son of Gunallo 295 weighing 111kg, with a 48EMD and 9.5mm fat. The 20.1M ram had wool tests of 3.3SD, 16.4CV, 99.7pc CF and had a 30.4YCFW and 12.8YSL.
The Graham family, Glencorrie stud, also returned to the sale to stock up for their Kangaroo Island property, taking five rams to $6800, averaging $3960, while WJ&AJ Buick, Penneshaw, will head the same way with four rams, averaging $2800.
A new Ridgway client also from KI, bidding on the phone, was JM&SK Davies, Kingscote, who bought four to $1600, averaging $1200.
The biggest volume buyers were sale regulars, the Johnson family, Mt Boothby, Tintinara, who bought 10 rams to $4600, averaging $2740; Lynton, Suze and Josh Barrett, Lameroo, bought eight to $3400, averaging $1688; while first-time buyers last year, CJ&YM Butcher, Meningie, again returned to buy eight to $3000, averaging $2175.
Strong interstate interest, on the phone, also came from Graeme Fagg, Mt Mercer, Vic, who secured six rams to $3200, averaging $2533, while Tim Philip, Maroona, Vic, took home four to $4000, averaging $3100.
A buyer's choice sale was held after the main auction, where 18 rams sold from 48 offered.
Nutrien Ag Solutions conducted the sale, with Richard Miller and Gordon Wood the auctioneers.
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