POLL Merino rams reached a top of $7000 and averaged $1900 at the Petali stud’s 22nd annual on-property sale at “Petali”, Walcha, on Thursday.
Of the 60 Merinos offered, the Oppenheimer family sold 45 for a clearance of 75 per cent.
Rams sold to commercial and stud clients on the Northern and Southern Tablelands, as well as buyers from Victoria.
Repeat client David Gowing, “Glenleigh” and “Wyoming”, Tamworth, bought the top-priced ram to join to his small commercial flock of 300 ewes.
The ram had Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) of +7.6 kilograms for yearling body weight, +18.9pc for yearling clean fleece weight, -1.1 for fibre diameter, +4.2 millimetres for staple length, and -54 for worm egg count (WEC).
“He had the figures that I’ve been looking for,” Mr Gowing said.
“He’s right up there for weight gain and had a really good wool cut with great staple length and pretty handy WEC figures.”
Veolia Environmental Services, Tarrago, bought two rams for $4000, and three rams sold for $3500 to Veolia; Mark Blaxland, Blaxland Poll Merinos, Tamworth; and Garry and Rhonda Olrich, “Boxley”, Walcha.
Veolia and Simon Croft, “Milparinka”, Guyra, were the sale’s volume buyers, purchasing seven rams each.
Veolia’s rams averaged $2528 and Mr Croft’s rams topped at $2750 and averaged $1821.
Ross King, Waterloo Station, Walcha, bought four rams topping at $2250 and averaging $1312, and Geoff Farlow, “Giru”, Deepwater, took home four rams for $1000 each.
Petali stud principal Martin Oppenheimer said rams with extra growth, good fleece weights, and good worm resistance were in demand
The sale was settled by Elders Walcha, with Paul Dooley, Tamworth, taking bids.
Ruth Schwager
Ruth Schwager is a journalist with the national agricultural features team.
Ruth Schwager is a journalist with the national agricultural features team.
