BUYERS bid strongly on Illawong's offering of Texel rams at their 26th annual on-property sale, held at Parawa on Thursday last week.
The sale's highest price of $2200 was a $1200 hike on last year's top bid, while the average also rose significantly from $859 to $1072 on the 18 of 20 rams sold.
Illawong stud principal Charlotte Morley was pleased with the sale result, particularly with the clearance rate of the Texel offering.
"I was really pleased, particularly considering the terrible weather we had down here on sale day," she said.
"We had a good spread of buyers and even a client from NSW."
While buyers travelled from the Upper South East, Mid North and Eyre Peninsula, the $2200 top priced ram was secured by local Phillip Reid, Newenham Props, Normanville.
It had an eye muscle width of 64 millimetres, an EM depth of 29mm and an EM area of 14.29 square centimetres.
Illawong also offered 39 Poll Dorset rams, with ten selling to an average of $800.
Newenham was also the volume buyer on the Texels, with AJK Pastoral, Myponga, the volume buyer in the Poll Dorset offering.
They bought all ten rams, averaging $800.
Mrs Morley said while Illawong was offering less numbers at their sale than they once did, she thought clients could still see the value the Texel breed offered.
"They're short, thumping, very muscly and meaty sheep," she said.
"I've had 62 per cent dressed meat yield twice, which shows how well they can perform."
Mrs Morley said the rams had adapted well, and provided clients with good results, in all areas of the state.
"The fact our rams are entirely grass fed helps because they haven't finished growing when bought by our clients," she said.
The sale was conducted by Elders Strathalbyn, with Elders' stud stock's Tom Penna the auctioneer.
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