Huge av boost for Glencorrie

The sale's top price ram was paid for lot 3 - Tag 208 - a triplet sired by Johnos 78 with Lambplan figures of 8.3 weaning weight, 13.2 post weaning weight and 20 lambs weaned, and was 158.2 on the Border Maternal Index. It was bought by AW Gum, Lowanhill stud, Pinnaroo, through Elders' Jarryd Finch.

With 50 registered buyers competing strongly from start to finish to try to fill their orders, bidding did not ease up right throughout the catalogue.

Volume buyers made a big impact, with Sparks Farming, Spalding, securing 20 rams to $2500 twice, averaging $2235; AM&SD Webb, Balaklava, bought 10 rams to $2500 twice, averaging $2380; and JA Pfitzner Family Trust, Point Pass, also bought 10, paying to $2200 six times and averaging $2140.

Ian Sparks, Sparks Farming, is a regular Glencorrie buyer, with the rams joined to 3000 Springvale North-blood Merino ewes at Munduney to produce ewe lambs for the annual Naracoorte first-cross ewe lamb sale in November.

"I was selecting for frame and structure and the Glencorrie bloodlines do very well," he said.

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CJ&JL Page, Warooka bought eight rams to $2500 three times, averaging $2375; EH Pitt, Lucindale, secured seven rams to $2400 three times to average $2314; Roseville Farming, Minlaton, took five averaging $2220 and RS Tregoweth, Lucindale, bought four averaging $2425.

Julie Page, Warooka, will use the Border Leicester rams over Dohne ewes. She was selecting for strong Border Leicester traits for mothering and milking ability, and also places emphasis on number of lambs weaned and Lambplan figures for fat, eye muscle and weaning weight.

For the first time, Glencorrie also offered Poll Dorsets, penning 21 impressive Tattykeel-blood rams weighing up to 142kg with eye muscle scans of up to 54 millimetres. All 21 rams sold to $2600 twice and achieved a healthy first sale average of $1781.

Both $2600 rams sold to Rocklands YP, Curramulka. The volume buyer in the Poll Dorsets was Ivan Read & Hotel Project, Kangaroo Island, with eight rams to $1800 twice, averaging $1638.

Elders Minlaton's Adam Pitt said the sale was "great reward to good people with good sheep who have had a tough year due to the Kangaroo Island fires".

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"The Grahams have done an amazing job for what they have through," he said.

Elders Auctioneer Tom Penna said the July and August-drop rams were "top class" for conformation, shape and wool.

"Through 40 years of selling, every now and again you come across a sale with eight enthusiastic bidders from the get-go, with action like a good whiting patch on the West Coast," he said.

Glencorrie stud principal Craig Graham said the result reflected the strong demand for first-cross ewes.

"The sale was an overwhelming result after the fire, where we lost so many stock numbers. There were a lot of new buyers," he said.

The sale was conducted by Elders and Nutrien with Elders Minlaton the duty agent.