THE Richmond Merinos on-property sale at Quandialla offered both horn and poll rams that sold successfully to stud and commercial producers on Tuesday last week.
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With a focus on breeding the right sheep with the right body, skin and fleece type, Trevor and Sarah Ryan and family, were really pleased with the rams they were able to present.
“Especially with depth of wool combined with the gradual lift in figures,” Mr Ryan said.
There was a 95 per cent clearance with 124 rams selling of the 130 offered for an average of $2165.
New buyers Marcus and Tom Hooke, East Loddon Merino stud, Wanganella, bought the top price ram for $11,000.
The sale topper was Richmond 16-110 by Western Australia sire, Challara 394, from a 10-228 sired ewe, the Poll Merino ram had a 18.7 micron, 2.9 standard deviation (SD), and 100pc comfort factor (CF).
He was in the top 10pc for yearling eye muscle depth (YEMD), yearling fibre diameter coefficient of variation (YDCV), yearling staple length (YSL).
Marcus Hooke said their purchase was a good all round ram with good muscle and fat. “Richmond has some of best wool going around, plus within the shed he was probably the best carcase sheep,” Tom Hooke said.
With a strong belief “there is no shortcut in livestock breeding”, Richmond Merinos said it is all about quality and working with the right sheep.
“In this age of computer driven livestock selection it is easy to buy in figures but it is harder to do it with the right sheep,” he said.
"We want out breeding values to rise and continually move upwards. But we don’t want to take shortcuts that will comprise the visual traits of our ram; especially wool quality to get there with the figures.
“We feel it is happening we just want to do it with the right sheep.”
The second top price ram, Richmond 16-236, sold for $10,000 to Damon and Sophie Soster, “Dalkeith”, Cassilis.
By the inaugural winner of the SRS ram of the year, Richmond 13-579, from a Richmond 7-69 sired ewe, the runner up sale topper was 19.7 in the micron, 2.8 SD and 99.9pc CF. He was in the top 10pc for post weaning weight, yearling weight, YDCV and YSL.
“We are trying to breed a self replacement ram flock and we believe the second top price ram had all the goods needed to achieve that,” Damon Soster said.
Using Mr Ryan as a classer for 10 years, the Soster’s believe he has their flock of ewes where they want them and it made sense to use his rams.
Buying three rams last year, the Soster family came back to secure a total of 12 rams for a $2625 average.
Mr Soster said they were looking for rams that would increase their growth rates and wool quality so they selected rams with higher growth rates in figures and the ram itself.
“We like the staple length and evenness of micron and staple length in the rams we bought,” he said.
Richmond Merinos reserved the right to collect semen in the two high-priced sires before the start of the sale.
In support of local girl, Macey Yerbury, who was involved in a fire incident on the family farm a month before her third birthday, the Ryan family donated the proceeds of the sale of lot one to the Yerbury family.
Macey’s accident left her with third degree burns to about 60 to 65pc of her body.
Following a number of weeks in an induced coma and undergoing about 13 operations, Macey was recovering well at the Westmead Children’s Hospital.
The donation lot sold for $2500 to MA. and RL. Stewart. Proceeds will go to assisting the family with the significant, ongoing medical and travel expenses incurred.
Interstate buyers Baderloo Partners from Baderloo Poll Merinos, Spalding, South Australia, bought Richmond 16-136 for $3500.
With all the rams being paddock reared, they were commercially run and ready to work. “The rams had never seen self feeders or shedded. We want to give our sheep every opportunity for them express their faults,” Mr Ryan said.
Mutliple buyers were the Haylock family from Old Springfield Partnership, Cooma, securing 15 rams for a $2167 average and Ted Morgan from Geeron Partnership, Forbes, bought 14 rams paying an average of $1229.
Auctioneer Paul Dooley, Tamworth, was taking bids with Elders as the selling agent.
