REPEAT clients from the Northern Tablelands pushed prices to a high of $1600 twice at the annual Petali White Suffolks ram sale at "Petali", Walcha, last Thursday.
Fifty three of the 70 rams offered by the Oppenheimer family sold for an average of $1007 and clearance of 76 per cent.
Long-time Petali clients and volume buyers Guy Lord, "Branga Plains", Walcha, and Annie Hutchison and Jerry Rogers, Kentucky Station, Kentucky, each purchased a ram for $1600.
Mr Lord's ram was an F42 son who had Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) of +0.08 for birthweight, weaning weight of +7.5kg, post weaning weight of +12.6kg, +4 millimetres for eye muscle depth (EMD), and -67 for worm egg count (WEC).
“We came looking for animals with curve bending figures – a below average birthweight but with good growth and carcase data,” Mr Lord said.
The F156 son heading to Kentucky Station had ASBVs of +0.1 for birthweight, +7kg for weaning weight, +10.5kg for post weaning weight, +1.7mm for eye EMD and WEC of -34. Petali rams have been used in the property’s commercial flock for the past three years, with the terminal sires used over older Merino ewes.
Five rams sold for $1400, with two going to Jim Hunt, "Eulo", Niangala; and the others selling to Mr Lord, David Saunders, "Pineview", Guyra; and John Beynon, “Lindon”, Uralla. Eleven rams made $1200.
Mr Lord, Mr Hunt and Kentucky Station each purchased six rams, averaging $1133, $1100 and $1000 respectively. Jock Menzies, "Winterbourne", Armidale, bought five rams for an average of $1000. Andrew Crawford, "Cobbadah", Woolbrook, and Hugh Cook, "Gleneagles", Walcha, each purchased four rams, averaging $900 and $800.
Petali stud principal Martin Oppenheimer said buyers were looking for well balanced rams with good growth, muscle and eating quality.
Landmark Walcha settled the sale, with Paul Dooley, Tamworth, auctioneering.