THE McLaren family's Nerstane Merino stud at Woolbrook, bagged its best price for a ram this week when it sold a stud sire at $30,000.
The deal was sealed in a private sale to Coryule Merino stud, Willowvale, Victoria, and equals the highest Merino ram price achieved in NSW this year.
The two-year-old son of Langdene 4073, Australian ram of the year in 2009, was growing a fleece which measured 18.7-micron fibre diameter with a 3.3-micron standard deviation and 99.6 per cent comfort factor when measured in July.
Nerstane co-principal Hamish McLaren said the ram was this year's Australian Sheep and Wool Show champion fine-medium wool March-shorn ram at Bendigo, Vic, and was not originally for sale.
"He's one of those standout sheep - he's got size and bone, balance, productive well-nourished wool and a real stud outlook," he said.
Coryule Merinos stud manager Craig Trickey said the ram caught his attention at Bendigo, and then at the Merino National, held in Dubbo.
"The bone and structure of the ram were the attractions, and of course obviously the wool," he said.
"We were also attracted by the pedigree."
"We think he has the potential to take our stud to another level."
Coryule stud averages 18.5 micron across the flock, and will use the new sire over a number of ewes, including those from the N33 line, one of the stud's foundation families.
Nerstane will maintain possession of the ram until after the 2015 Sydney Royal Show.
John McLaren and his sons Jock (left) and Hamish are pictured with the $30,000 ram.