THIS year's sale result at Orrie Cowie Merino and Poll Merino has principal John Dalla excited for the years ahead, with progeny from up and coming sires highly sought after and boosting the stud's annual auction average by close to $200.
Mr Dalla credited much of the improvement to the stud's embryo program, which is starting to bear fruit.
Of 120 Merino and Poll Merinos offered, 116 sold to a top of $13,000 and average of $2323, a $193 rise on 2021.
A selection of White Suffolks and Poll Dorsets were also offered, with the 14 White Suffolks sold averaging $1057 and the six Poll Dorsets averaging $1017.
"Most of the (Merino and Poll Merino) rams in this year's sale were sired by new rams that we'd bred ourselves and this was the first drop," Mr Dalla said.
"We've been doing embryo work to breed rams that we want to use to breed sale rams. It's a five-year process and it's just starting to come through.
"Going forward I'm excited. There's another new sire for next year and seeing his lambs I reckon they could be better again."
Strong stud competition, paired with several commercial buyers willing to bid up to secure their pick of the catalogue, led to a hot start on the first 30 rams.
Lot nine, an Eclipse23 son, reached $13,000 before being knocked down to Elders stud stock's Alistair Keller on behalf of Glendonald Merino, Nhill, Vic.
"He's a big, long, well-structured ram, with heavy-cutting, dense wool," he said.
"With that dense wool, is a bright, white long staple and it's pretty rare to get a ram that is as dense as him yet so-long stapled."
Weighing in at 125 kilograms, the April 2021-drop ET Poll Merino carried a 19.3 micron fleece, with a 3.4 standard deviation, 16.3 coefficient of variation and 99.6 per cent comfort factor.
It also boasted a greasy fleece weight cut of 7.3kg at 11 months of age and a staple length of 70 millimetres when measured in late July.
Stud client John Lenehan travelled over from Wagga Wagga, NSW, to secure his pick for the fourth year running, taking a MidnightOil20 son with a finer micron at 18.8 for $10,250, and another of the same bloodline for $4250.
DY&PM Reade, Curramulka, bought a 130kg Titan son for $9000, with Bruce McCarthy, Yacka, and David Kelly, Northwich stud, Wongan Hills, WA, competing on the front row to buy Willandra447 and Eclipse23 sons for $8000 apiece.
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Mr Dalla was chuffed to see many local buyers, as well as a widespread of interstaters from WA, Vic, NSW and Tas, saying the sale had been more consistent than in previous years.
Kangaroo Island buyer Calana Heights, Stokes Bay, was the day's volume buyer, securing 11 to $1200, averaging $1018, and four Poll Dorsets to $1100, averaging $1025.
Another KI buyer, Ronnie Hams, Kingscote, bought 13 Merinos to $1500 four times, averaging $1154.
Both buying eight rams were Gavin Webster, Mannum, to $2200 twice, averaging $1600, and LR Noll & Son, Wilmington, all at $1000.
Mr McCarthy, 278 Securities, bought six rams in total to $8000, averaging $3775.
Both buying five were AD&JL Lock, through FP Nevins & Co, to $3000, averaging $1680, and Montrose Farming, through Elders Geraldton, to $2000 twice, averaging $1760.
Elders conducted the sale, with Tony Wetherall and Tom Penna the auctioneers.
Mr Penna said Orrie Cowie had "evened their type" and it was the best yarding of rams in some time.
"They've always had good wool, but they've got them a bit meatier and plainer with a lot more depth," he said.
"Some new buyers from Vic helped the average, with the remainder long-time purchasers."
