A BIG geographical spread of loyal buyers ensured Kelvale Poll Merino stud's annual on-property auction on Thursday at Keith came close to matching last year's record average.
Stud principals Stephen and Peta Kellock notched up a total clearance of the 160 May/June 2021 drops in the main offering for an impressive $2129 average - down just $130 on 2021 when the same number sold.
Another 50 rams in this year's mini auction topped at $1600 and averaged $1176.
There were plenty of high-figured Australian Sheep Breeding Values throughout the offering with only one ram in the catalogue ranking outside the top 20 per cent on MERINOSELECT for yearling staple length.
Many of the rams had measured staple lengths pushing 100mm with five months of growth.
In addition to the wealth of information on the placards above the pens there was also a QR code on each lot which potential buyers could scan to gain even more data on additional measured traits.
The sale started strongly with Ashley and Scott Williams, Greenwood Park, Auburn, opening their account at lot 1 with a 16.8 micron ram in the top 10pc for staple length at for $5000.
The 117kg ram by Kelvale's sire 109.
Greenwood Park also bought the $6000 highest priced ram- lot 6
The 17.6M ram, Kelvale 211076, was another stand out for staple length ranking in the top 5pc with a 21.17 figure and had a Dual Purpose + Index in the top 10pc at 186.82.
Its other wool measurements included a standard deviation of 2.8, coefficient of variation of 15.8 per cent and comfort factor of 99.6pc.
All up Greenwood Park bought eight rams for their Mid North property plus another 39 rams for their Mahanewo Station, 180kms north west of Port Augusta.
The Williamses said they have been very pleased with the wools from their Kelvale bloodlines and were even recognised for this as a monthly winner in Elders SA Clip of the Year recently.
"We are getting long staple length of 70mm for a six month shearing and getting 120 per cent lambing," Scott Williams said.
Going head to head with Greenwood Park on many lots was second year buyer Luke Nicolai, Nicolai Farms, Stewart Range, who secured 40 rams for a $1728 average.
"We are trying to get a Kelvale bloodline going, we are using them over the Watervalley ewes at Tresant and already starting to breed the wrinkle off them," he said.
Just one bid off the sale high was lot 19- a 17.8M ram, Kelvale 211587. It sold for $5800 to Formosa Estate, Cressy, Tas.
A couple of other pastoral orders buoyed the sale with P&P Verco, Quondong Station via Burra taking home 15 rams for a $1700 average and JA Rowe & Son, Carrieton, buying 12 rams for Almerta Station for a $1250 average.
Eyre Peninsula buyers were again strong including AT&KM Watson, Wirrulla, who put together 14 rams for a $1579 average.
There were a handful of shedded sheep in the offering but the majority were paddock run with their white wools standing up to 50mm of rain in the past month.
Mr Kellock was very pleased with the sale result, especially the total clearance.
"The clearance was good but we had volume buyers," he said.
"They can see the quality coming through, they would buy some good ones and average them out so they are not paying a lot of money all up which is fantastic."
He said it was fantastic to see the success their clients from high rainfall Tasmania to the pastoral areas were having selling two wool clips a year and also turning off good lambs.
"We have lined ourselves up with guys that have similar goals to what we are trying to do, we are straight forward in what we are trying to do and what we are trying to present as an animal," he said.
"We are not here to sell sheep to people that don't want to do that but people get on the bandwagon."
Nutrien stud stock auctioneer Richard Miller said demand was continuing to grow for non-mulesed rams with ASBVs, with long staple lengths to shear twice a year.
"Kelvale are probably the leading stud nationwide for staple length ASBVs. They have it visually as well and they are getting the carcases really good," he said.
Mr Miller also praised the consistency of the offering which he said allowed loyal clients to secure big runs of similar type rams.
"You could run a ruler over the first 100 of them," he said.
Nutrien Keith conducted the sale with Leo Redden and Andrew Wilson sharing the auctioneering duties with Mr Miller.
