SALE SUMMARY
2020 2019
Offered 86 63
Sold 67 62
Top $4800 $8000
Av $1897 $2410
A MAMMOTH Poll Merino with stylish white wool and carcase figures to rival a British Breed ram has topped Ashrose stud's annual on-property sale at $4800 last Thursday at Mundulla West.
The exceptionally well-grown April 2019 drop which weighed 137 kilograms and had an eye muscle depth of 47.5 millimetres with 14mm fat depth stood out in the line-up of haltered rams.
The lot 12 ram also turned plenty of heads at last month's SE Merino Field Day including that of John Dalla, Orrie Cowie stud, Warooka,who put in the winning bid through Nutrien Ag Solutions' Kingston based Alistair Keller.
The 22 micron ram was sired by Orrie Cowie 419 (Casper)- a ram which Ashrose bought as a three-year-old from the Dalla family in 2018.
Its other wool tests included a 3.6 standard deviation, 16.3 coefficient of variation and 98pc comfort factor.
"It is a big, upstanding ram with stud wool and really stands up nice and square and has a bit different genetics on the dam's side," he said.
The overall sale average was back $513 on 2019's sale but the Graetz family were pleased to sell an extra five rams with 67 of 86 averaging a credible $1897.
Lot 1, a 20.3M ram with a 100 per cent comfort factor made $4200 - the second highest price of the day.
FR Loechel, Lucindale was the buyer of the spring 2018 drop which weighed 125kg with a 45mm EMD for his sole purchase.
Many of the 21 registered bidders from Kangaroo Island, the Murraylands, the South East and western Vic found plenty of picks at outstanding value.
Nutrien Ag Solutions' Keith livestock manager Noel Evans was busy on the phone bidding for TO, LE&ND Miller, Nhill, Vic, who were unable to attend the sale due to border restrictions.
The Millers led the volume buying list with 10 rams to $3600, averaging $2070.
Batten Partners, Murray Bridge, found seven rams to $2000 twice, averaging $1400, while Keilira Props, Keilira, put together nine rams for a $1067 average, including four at $800.
Delro Pastoral, Alaman, Woolumbool, secured five rams to $3200, for a $2720 average.
Stud principal Tim Graetz was pleased with the continued support and feedback from repeat buyers, as well as attracting a couple of new clients to the sale.
"We knew the sale was going to be a bit tougher with COVID-19 and a couple of Vic buyers that couldn't make it across (the border) but we were really pleased with how it held up," he said.
Mr Graetz said Orrie Cowie Casper - who sired the $4800 sale topper - had stamped his mark on their stud flock with "good sirey, ram breeding wools". The stud has more promising ram lambs for their 2021 sale.
Nutrien stud stock auctioneer Richard Miller said it was a "solid result" for a very consistent offering of well structured, heavy cutting sheep.
"The top end might have been back a bit on where it has been in terms of competition but everyone that was here was able to get the sheep that they wanted within their budget," he said.
Mr Miller said the premiums for the shed prepared sheep which had been shorn a month earlier than the paddock run rams was not huge but it was a worthwhile exercise for potential buyers to see how Ashrose genetics can perform.
These shedded rams which were the first 14 lots in the sale averaged $2923.
"The raw eye muscles were outstanding with some getting up to the top end of British Breed rams at 49mm EMD and paddock rams up to 48mm with not a lot of preparation," he said.
Nutrien Ag Solutions and Elders were joint selling agents.
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