REGISTERED bidders from four states ensured Karawatha Park stud's increased offering of Poll Merino rams all sold under the hammer last Friday at Buckleboo.
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At its 21st annual auction, the Woolford family had a total clearance of 148 rams - eight more than 2022 - for an impressive $2455 average.
The $7000 sale topper came well into the catalogue with locals Shannon and Megan Larwood selecting Lot 74, a 104 kilogram ram with a beautifully aligned fibre.
Like many in the catalogue the Leahcim 183391 son had outstanding Australian Sheep Breeding Values including a yearling weight of 12.3, yearling clean fleece weight of 24.1 and Dual-Purpose Plus index of 193.
"He was a nice leggy sheep with a nice solid frame, which goes with his excellent yearling weight, but he was also a nice plain bodied sheep and had the wool figures and the wool on his back we look for," Mr Larwood said.
The Larwoods also outlaid $4400 for Lot 38.
"Both had positive eye muscles and fats which helps with fertility and they were both born twins," he said.
Mr Larwood said the Karawatha Park bloodlines had been working well in their self-replacing flock for many years.
"They are on the same path as us as far as wool style and being so close to home they are raised under similar conditions," he said.
The Dabinett family, Longtrail Farms, Parilla, was the sale's biggest buyer, putting together 17 rams for a $2788 average. This included the sale's $5800 second highest price at Lot 13.
Despite some commercial buyers' willingness to go to $4000 and $5000 for their picks, there was also plenty of good buying with 40 rams making less than $1500.
Other volume buyers included the Nutt family, Pandurra Pastoral Co, via Port Augusta, with 14 rams and Yardea Station, in the Gawler Ranges, with 10 rams.
Stud co-principal Dion Woolford said the family was grateful to their loyal supporters who turned up every year and made their efforts breeding Poll Merinos worthwhile.
"We are really proud of what we had on offer, and oddly enough are already looking forward to the quality that is coming for next year's sale," he said.
"We understand our responsibility to our clients, our genetic gain must continue to move in the right direction and bring our client's flocks with it."
Nutrien SA studstock manager and auctioneer Gordon Wood said it was a great result for the Woolford family to maintain a total clearance, selling more rams and have only about a 5 per cent drop in average.
"A few of the buyers that I spoke to on the day loved the fact that they are paddock run sheep so they keep going when they get them home rather than melting - that is a big reason why a lot of those big buyers are there," he said.
Mr Wood said without doubt, buyers were also appreciating the excellent performance data on the rams - high yearling weight and clean fleece weights coupled with some good carcase figures.
"They were visually assessing the sheep as well, if you had a ram with good data, structurally sound and really good fibre they were reaching that $4000, $5000 and $6000, commercial guys saw value in that," he said.
Nutrien Kimba and Elders Cleve conducted the sale with Elders' Tom Penna sharing the rostrum with Mr Wood.
