AT the start of every ram sale season, we always ask around and get agents' predictions on how they think Merino and terminal sales will play out.
The state of the wool and sheepmeat markets always come into play, but this year, the sector's fortunes were a little harder to predict, thanks to the pandemic creating an air of uncertainty.
Would stud and commercial producers be willing to spend up to secure sires, even as the country plunged into recession? Would travel restrictions reduce interstate interest, and would producers preference local sales ahead of those that required heading to a different region?
With just a handful of sales to come, it's safe to say the season has panned out even better than most people predicted.
Related reading: SA's terminal sale results surprise
Headline-grabbing top prices were backed up with strong sale averages and excellent clearance rates at the vast majority of auctions.
Things could have been rather different if COVID-19 had taken hold in SA's regions, shutting down regional travel, or if our governments failed to recognise agriculture as an essential industry.
The state of play would also have been very different if the pandemic occurred 15 or 20 years ago, before online selling platforms gained broad popularity and before objective measurement became such an important part of sire selection.
I'd love to know what the early pioneers of the sheep industry would think if they saw buying decisions being based on a table of figures. How many would have bid on a ram they hadn't seen in person?
But, studs that presented a plethora of data to their clients seemed to reap the rewards this year. Inverbrackie has been providing a huge amount of data for years, and last week the Arney family achieved an unprecedented average of $3193 across 178 rams.
The strength of the sale is also a reflection of the incredible demand for Border Leicester rams we've seen at auctions across the state this season.
Demand for Merino ewes is also sky-high, with prices for 1.5-year-olds in the Keith online off-shears sale on Friday hitting $342, and 16 lines making $300 or more.
If the demand for Border Leicester rams and Merino ewes is carried over to the first-cross ewe and ewe lamb market, then we're likely to see another bidding frenzy at Naracoorte's blue ribbon sales next month.
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