Impressive rams with improved carcase traits helped Carricowie Poll Merinos to a good clearance and an improved top price and average at its annual on-property sale at Brentwood on Tuesday.
The Brentwood stud offered 59 rams in the main sale, with 50 sold to $5800, averaging $1502 - a $113 lift on last year's sale average.
In addition, a mini auction offered 20 rams, of which 12 sold to $800, averaging $717.
Repeat client Jamie Murdoch, Warooka, bought the two top price rams, lot 28 at $5800 and lot 2 at $4800.
The 115-kilogram sale-topper was a descendant of Carricowie P41, and carried a 17.1 micron fleece with 3.7 standard deviation, 21.5 coefficient of variation and 100 per cent comfort factor, while eye muscle depth measured 44.3 millimetres and fat depth 5.1mm.
Lot 2 also had impressive figures, weighing 118kg, with a 43.8EMD and 8.5FD and wool measurements of 19.5M, 2.7SD, 13.8CV and 99.7CF.
Mr Murdoch also bought two other rams in the main auction, both at $1200, and two in the mini auction, both at $800.
"That top ram in particular had good growth rate and a good eye muscle, it's hard to get a ram that size that still has the good quality wool we want," Mr Murdoch said.
The Murdoch family have bought from Carricowie for about 20 years, joining their rams to a self-replacing Merino flock of 1800 ewes.
"The micron here at Carricowie doesn't change, and pretty much every year we top the wool sales, we're always trying to find a very good carcase with a good wool," Mr Murdoch said.
"We purchased a few more this year than we normally would, they've got a bit more nourishment in them and where we live we want a more well-nourished wool rather than a dry wool," he said.
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Carricowie stud principal Bronte Blyth was grateful for the support of repeat clients on the day, and said the sale result was even better than expected.
"Just to have the clearance of that many rams, particularly when we're surrounded by continuous croppers now, is wonderful," Mr Blyth said.
Grandsons of White River 546 - the 2017 Riverina wool champion hogget ram - featured in the sale, and sold well.
"That bloodline has done very well for us - the ram had huge size, length, strength and a beautiful wool structure, and more of those genetics will be coming through in the future," Mr Blyth said.
"We're aiming to be as profitable as possible, and produce big, early-maturing rams with as much good-quality wool as possible."
The sale's main volume buyer was Nundora Station, Packsaddle, NSW, with 10 rams knocked down to the pastoral client, all at $800.
RM Pastoral, Nutrien Kadina, bought five rams to $1000, averaging $920, while Carramulla, Port Vincent, also took home five, averaging $1380 and topping at $2400.
Minlaton client Karoongi Pastoral bid well in the mini auction, securing nine sires, all at $700.
Of 18 registered buyers, 16 secured sires.
The sale was conducted by Nutrien, with Leo Redden as auctioneer.
Mr Redden said there had been a significant improvement in carcase traits at Carricowie, resulting in an excellent sale offering.
"It was a really good result, every now and then you get a year where a sale makes a leap, and Carricowie have made a quantum leap this year with the carcases this year, with their make and shape," he said
"Eye muscle and rump and loins were outstanding."
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