Some new buyers joined the repeat clients at Flairdale Poll Merinos on-property sale on Monday at Cookes Plain, ensuring the sale was a success for the Lehmann family.
Stud principals Wayne Lehmann and son Matt Lehmann sold 71 out of 83 Poll Merino rams in with a top price of $7000 for Lot 4 and an average of $2284.
The top price matched the 2022 on property sale while the average fell $144 shy of last year's sale.
The sale topper at Lot 4 was Flairdale Poll 220209, an April 2022-drop sired by Mumblebone 18-0088.
The 97 kilogram ram was in the top 5 per cent of the Australian Sheep Breeding Values index for breech wrinkle score at marking and top 10pc for yearling fibre diameter coefficient of variation and also yearling staple length.
Its fleece measured 18.6 micron with a 99.7pc comfort factor.
Originally penciled in as a stud reserve, Lot 4 was a later inclusion into the on-property sale.
It was bought by an undisclosed Mid North operator through Elders Jamestown.
Matt Lehmann said there was some good consistency through the line, with the top end of the sale a bit stronger than last year with buyers chasing similar traits.
Flairdale have set its breeding objectives to get eye muscle and fat but also maintain wool cut and fibre diameter.
"We're trying to get that proper dual purpose sheep, maintain wool cut and still have eye muscle and fat together," he said.
A number of new clients were drawn to Flairdale this year, along with some regulars.
Among the buyers was Dale Paxton who has been using Flairdale genetics for over 50 years.
The Kangaroo Island producer joins 4200 ewes and finds using the genetics available at Flairdale helps him get closer to his objective.
"I am trying to get finer micron, good CVs and improve my fat and muscle thus lambing percentages and durability," Mr Paxton said.
"My micron is down to 19M for grown sheep so I am headed in the right direction."
In the sale's volume buyers BA&DJ Paxton, through Elders Kingscote, bought eight rams to $5000, averaging $2905, as did Laskey Farming, through Nutrien Peterborough, bidding to $4200, averaging $2775, while Ben Nevis, through Nutrien Ararat, Vic, bought seven to $3400, averaging $2714.
Nutrien's Richard Miller along side Elders Laryn Gogel took charge of the auctioneering.
"I think that is a great result for the Lehmann family, to have the same number of rams sold as what we did last year, only less than a 10 per cent reduction on the average, good top price of $7000 - it is a great result," Mr Miller said.
He said it was good to see high prices throughout the catalogue, showing the consistency.
"It is great to see people showing support for the Merino industry," he said.
"It's not going to great at the moment from a wool point of view and from surplus sheep sales its certainly well back on where it was, but there is great support and people still investing."
