INTERSTATE bulk orders and strong local interest ensured the 217 rams offered found buyers at the Inverbrackie Border Leicester sale at Finniss on Wednesday, increasing the sale average by more than $400.
The Arney family offered all of their 2014-drop rams and for the first time, held a mini-auction after the sale where 140 more were offered.
Stud principal Lynton Arney said this was to give volume buyers an opportunity to increase numbers after the sale.
"Plus if we offered the entire drop in the auction format, the sale would take forever," he said.
The stud had already changed the sale time to 11am to cater for clients who had travelled, including two who flew in from NSW and those who drove from Vic, Jamestown and Kangaroo Island.
The top price of $2500 was achieved three times by three different clients.
Earlier in the sale, Rushmore Run Props, through Elders Strathalbyn, paid $2500 for lot 20 - a ram with an impressive maternal $ index of 136.3 and -43 for faecal egg count.
The ram also had Lambplan figures of 6.3 for weaning weight, 10.9 for post-weaning weight, 13.3 for yearling weight, 1.3 for post eye muscle depth and 17 per cent for number of lambs weaned.
Rushmore Run also bought a second ram at $2300.
Lot 79 also made $2500, bought by Elders Naracoorte, which secured 11 rams in the main sale, averaging $2064.
The ram had a maternal $ index of 136.8, with Lambplan figures of 6.3WWT, 10.4PWWT, 11.6YWT, 1PEMD and 18pc NLW.
Lot 109 also made $2500, bought through Elders Kingscote which secured four rams for a KI client averaging $2000.
This ram had a phenomenal maternal $ index of 140.8 and -59PFEC and boasted Lambplan figures of 10.5PWWT, 9.4YWT, 0.8PEMD and 22pc NLW.
The two clients who flew in from NSW were also prominent volume buyers, taking more than 70 head.
Hamish and Sally Drury, Talinga Pastoral Co, Gulgong, NSW, bought 33 rams in the main sale to $2300 and 27 in the mini-auction while Nick Gay, Huelen Pastoral Co, Hovells Creek, NSW, notched up nine in the main sale to $2100 and three in the mini-auction.
Mr Gay said they bought at Inverbrackie for the first time last year and were impressed with the results.
"We scanned up to 164pc potential (lambs)," he said.
Ian Farley, Marmon Pastoral, Jabuk, also returned to Inverbrackie to buy up big, going home with 19 from the main sale, averaging $1316.
Alisha Fogden
Cropping editor of Stock Journal.
Cropping editor of Stock Journal.
