The Litchfield family of Hazeldean Merino stud, Cooma, recently held their Hazeldean ‘Best of the Best’ ram sale.
The 2017 Hazeldean ‘Best of the Best’ sale rams are the top 30 sale rams produced by Hazeldean. They are in an elite category when compared to the top of all rams born in 2015 across the industry.
Out of the 30 rams offered 25 sold at auction to an average price of $3227.
Twenty-five registered bidders from the Monaro as well as Humula, Cathcart, Burren Junction, Turramurra, Springvale, Binda, Galong, Reids Flat, Walgett, Yeoval and Cohuna Victoria, made their way to Cooma to select elite sires.
The top-price ram was knocked down to the Australian Wool Network (AWN) on behalf of JAB Shorter and Son, “Boola”, Burren Junction, for $6500.
A son of poll ram Hazeldean Hugh 11-003542, a trait leader in yearling clean fleeceweight (YCF) and yearling fibre diametre (YFD), the ram had fleece measurements of 20.46-micron fibre diametre, 3.69-micron standard deviation (SD), and 18.05 per cent coefficient of variation (CV).
Volume buyers included Peter Hare, Cohuna, Victoria, who took home three rams to average $2167 and Murdoch Bros., Bibbenluke, purchased four to an average of $2375.
Sale rams include sons of top performing sires - Hazeldean Hugh 11-003542, Hazeldean Haricot 11-43, Hazeldean Amicale 12-4059, CentrePlus 907538 and Nerstane 10.958.
Directly after the sale 45 flock rams were also sold.
The ‘Best of the Best’ sale rams were run in a large contemporary group of young rams and had two fleece measurements including full fibre test and fleece weight at 10 months and 17 months of age.
They have also had two classings prior to each shearing, a yearling body weight and stringent off shears assessment. They are the most scrutinised and highest accuracy rams Hazeldean put up for sale each year.