Rices Creek Poll Merino stud enjoys strong $2528 average at Tintinara sale

There were no spectacular highs at Thursday's sale but plenty of bids in the $2000 to $3500 range ensured a total clearance of 116 April/May 2022 drops for a very impressive $2528 average.

Another 20 rams were offered and sold with the catalogue including 24 rams from Hamilton Run.

The nearly century old stud purchased the Hamilton Run stud earlier in the year with the majority of the ewes being run at the Vandeleur's Tintinara properties.

It was a case of deja vu on the top price with the $8500 equalling last year's sale high and selling to the same buyer Lee Slape, TS stud, Sherlock.

Kyle Challinger, who was bidding on Mr Slape's behalf, along with Cousins Merino Services' Josh Cousins said the lot 8 ram which was a son of Moorundie 124 was a stand out.

"We wanted this one for its breeding, big body and good well nourished wool to breed rams for us to sell," he said.

One of the finer micron rams in the catalogue at 18.5 micron, its other wool tests included a standard deviation of 3,1, coefficient of variation of 16.6pc and comfort factor of 99.5pc .

The 111kg ram had a yearling greasy fleece weight 18pc higher than all of Rices Creek's rams at shearing.

A few lots earlier a replacement ram which the Vandeleurs had originally intended to retain made $5000 selling to Lake Hawdon Props, Robe, as one of their three buys.

The 18.2M ram by Gunallo 463 was the sale's second highest price.

The 24 Hamilton Run rams averaged $2992 with the highest price of these lot 28, a 19.6M ram which sold for $4600 to Prosser Family Holdings.Tintinara.

The volume buyer list featured many long-time supporters from western NSW to Quorn in the Flinders Ranges, through the Mid North, Mallee and South East and east into central Vic.

The Doering family, Walmona, Truro, who have been Rices Creek clients for more than 60 years bought 18 rams to a $3600 high and $2017 average.

Zacker Pastoral, Tintinara, secured eight rams for a $2450 average, paying to $3000.

Another Tintinara buyer Cavanagh Farms bought seven rams to $4200 averaging $3171.

Stud co-principal Mark Vandeleur was rapt with the result and support from both Rices Creek and Hamilton Run clients.

"People are a little bit concerned the way things are going but Merino breeders are pretty resilient and don't tend to chop and change," he said.

"Just because the job is back it doesn't mean that you sacrifice your genetics, you keep pushing forward which is what we are doing."

Last week Rices Creek purchased a new sire- a Moorundie ram for $50,000 in partnership with Collinsville stud, Hallett.

Mr Vandeleur said the stud was continuing to collect more data on their sheep and had breech and wrinkle scored their ram lambs. This data will be available on next year's sale rams.

Spence Dix & Co auctioneer Luke Schreiber said the sale was "unbelievably solid" which was a reflection of the depth of quality in the catalogue.

"The top end wasn't too dear You could buy really top end rams for $3000 to $4000 and for a sale that averaged $2500 just showed how well it held up," he said.

"The catalogue was deeper than we have ever seen. The wools were certainly sweeter right to the last ram and there wasn't any evident of any dry or any flat wools, they were all bright with nourishment which was commented on by many."

Mr Schreiber said he was excited to see how the Hamilton Run bloodlines would integrate into the Rices Creek stud expecting them to add "vigour and shape".

"There were guys here that are Hamilton Run clients that bought Rices Creek sheep and vice versa so I think it is going to be a good match," he said.

Spence Dix & Co and Elders were joint selling agent with Steven Doecke sharing the rostrum.

Rices Creek will offer 220 rams at its Saddleworth ram sale on Tuesday, August 29 and also has two rams reserved for the Adelaide Merino ram sale in September.