A Collinsville Merino rated as the best horned ram the stud has bred in the past five years created frenzied bidding in the stud's ram sale at Hallett on Monday.
The first lot to be offered, the May 2022 drop, ET bred ram with exceptional structure and top quality wool, sold for $70,000.
This was easily a seasonal high for a Merino sold at auction in SA in 2023 and also surpassed the $60,000 which two rams from Moorundie stud, Keith sold privately for.
WA commercial breeders Reg and Lynne Parker, Pingelly, WA staved off some strong stud competition to secure the lot 1 ram, Collinsville Buddy 220032- a Buddy 23 son which weighed 136 kilograms.
The 19.2 micron ram had impressive wool tests including a standard deviation of 2.9, coefficient of variation of 15.2 per cent and comfort factor of 99.7pc and ranked 40pc higher for greasy fleece weight than other 2022 drop rams in the flock.
Earlier this month at the 2023 Royal Adelaide Show Buddy was the reserve grand champion March Shorn Merino ram and champion medium wool March Shorn Merino ram.
An outstanding Poll Merino which had also turned plenty of judges heads on the show circuit was the next to be offered at lot 2 and made $27,000 - the highest priced poll ram.
Previously awarded the Riverina Wool Champion Hogget at the Hay Sheep Show in June it found a new home at the Stockman family's Glenowie Poll Merino stud at Burra.
In a huge day for George & Sophie Millington and their general manager Tim Dalla all 300 rams sold to buyers from across Australia. The six specially selected Merinos averaged $16,875 while 38 specially selected Poll Merinos averaged $5336. In the main offering 206 Poll Merinos averaged $1956 and 50 Merinos averaged $1076.
Mr Millington said it was gratifying to achieve a full clearance given the current environment.
"We are very grateful to our customers who have supported us over a long time, we try and produce the goods every year so they can continue to make money," he said.
"People can see the value in growing wool given current sheep prices, that is reflected in buyers wanting to buy sheep that cut a decent amount of wool and will make them money on the wool front as opposed to just the meat front."
Elders SA stud stock manager Tony Wetherall said it was an "exciting line up of rams" with good attendance of SA and interstate stud buyers.
"We had a lot of stud interest on those specially selected rams- their (Collinsville) genetics have been performing and proven right around Australia and the world for years and years," he said.
*MORE TO COME
