THE annual Breeders Choice Alpaca auction was held online at the weekend and skyrocketed to a top of $18,000, after an 18 month-old alpaca from SA stud, EP Cambridge made the top price.
For the second consecutive year, the sale was held through Wilson Beer of Nutrien Ag Solutions and interfaced through AuctionsPlus.
In the online sale, 24 commercial and stud breeders from SA, Vic, NSW and WA offered 72 lots, with 39 sold to a top of $18,000 and averaging $3630.
The $18,000 alpaca, EP Cambridge Smoky Margarita, was a maiden medium grey female from EP Cambridge Alpaca stud, Oakbank.
EP Cambridge stud principal Matthew LLoyd said grey alpacas do not really "get much better".
"It exhibited a truly ad-vance fleece style, high frequency crimp with even colour and super fine handle giving her the perfect balance.We really struggled to put this girl up."
Smoky Margarita was sired by EP Cambridge Spectre ET MG and its dam was EP Cambridge Bailey SBLK.
Its fleece measured 18.8 micron with a 4.3 standard deviation and 23.1 coefficient of variation and a 98.5 comfort factor.
The stud offered nine lots in total and sold eight to an $18,000 top, averaging $6525.
The stud also made the $12,500 second-highest price for Canchones Gal About Town, a 14-month-old maiden black female.
Its fleece was 17.5M with a 4.1SD, 23.7CV and a 100pc CF.
Another SA stud, Yaringa Alpacas, Bald Hills, offered five alpacas but unfortunately none were sold.
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Vanessa Binks
I am the Markets Editor and journalist at the Stock Journal. I am based at Nuriootpa in SA's lower north.
I am the Markets Editor and journalist at the Stock Journal. I am based at Nuriootpa in SA's lower north.
