The bar has been set high for the 2024 ram sale season, with a Collinsville Imperial ram selling privately this week for an impressive $50,000.
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The outstanding young sire - Collinsville Imperial 225719 - caught the attention of Roger Marsh, Avonmore Poll Merino Stud, Elmore, Vic, earlier this year at the SA Stud Merino Expo in Burra.
"Collinsville Imperial 225719 is the most complete ram I've seen for dual-purpose breeding and was suited to our environment," Mr Marsh said.
"He has very white, elite wool, while also featuring excellent carcass attributes."
Collinsville Stud Merinos general manager Tim Dalla said the stud wanted to keep Collinsville Imperial 225719 as a stud reserve, but after some "lengthy" negotiations, they came to the $50,000 agreement through Tony Brooks, Brooks Merino Services.
"Collinsville Imperial 225719 demonstrates excellent early growth and has outstanding high rainfall wool attributes, which will be well suited to Avonmore Poll Merino stud's breeding environment," Mr Dalla said.
Collinsville Imperial 225719 is an embryo transfer-bred ram sired by Collinsville Imperial 170521 (dam Collinsville Prince 190829).
Its 20.1-micron wool had 3.3 standard deviation, 16.4 co-efficient of variation and 99.4 per cent comfort factor.
He is a full brother to Collinsville Imperial 328 - a May 2021-drop sire that won a swag of accolades across Australia in 2022, including grand champion March-shorn Poll Merino ram and champion medium wool at the Royal Adelaide Show, SA champion hogget ram at the Northern SA Merino Expo at Jamestown and the champion medium wool March-shorn Poll Merino ram at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo, Vic.
