WOOLGROWERS within a 200 kilometre radius and as far south as Tasmania seeking extra wool cut and body size on their sheep vied for the 138 Merino and Poll Merino rams sold at the 12th annual Lachlan Merino on-property sale at Warroo near Forbes last Wednesday.
The auction cleared 138 of 140 rams selling to $10,000 and averaging $2683 is a pleasing result for owners Glen and Margot Rubie and family.
Buying the $10,000 sale-topper over the phone through Elders’ Scott Thrift was Scott Bowden of R.V. Bowden and Son, “Cluny”, Bothwell, Tasmania, who sells an 850 bale woolclip and recently produced the winning Elders Clip of the year at the Hamilton, Victoria, Sheepvention.
The purchase was a 109 kilogram August/September 2016 drop Poll Merino son of OC (by Pearler) growing 18.9 micron wool with a standard deviation (SD) of 3.4 micron, a coefficient of variation (CV) of 18 per cent and 99.7pc comfort factor (CF).
Of the sale rams 85pc were only 12 to 13 months old and averaged 99kg.
Glen Rubie said people shouldn't forget they sell meat and wool by the kilogram.
“Each year we back this up by shearing ewe lambs (full sisters) in front of the crowd on sale day and this year they averaged 78kg, 18.4 micron and cut 9.4kg of wool with the top fleece valued at $131.35 cutting 10.5kg at 18.5 micron,” he said.
Green Partnership of Robert and Mark Green and families, “Brooklyn”, Forbes, paid $7250 second top price for a 93kg 18.8 micron son of a YE sire for flock ram breeding for their 2000 ewe self-replacing Merino flock.
As Merino wether woolcutters are quite valuable these days the Greens have kept last year’s drop with lambs wool at seven months last year making 1667 cents/kg. Prior to keeping their wethers most were sold at four months off their mothers as suckers and the year before they fetched $145 a head.
Returning client of many years standing Mark and Carol Jones and son, Brad, “Booroola”, Condobolin, bought a mix of 31 Merino and Poll Merino rams while paying to $5250 for the top-priced Merino ram, the 112kg son of Lachlan179 growing 17.1 micron wool.
The Booroola flock won the 2012 Don Brown (Condobolin) Merino Maiden Ewe Competition and their recent sale of 745 Merino 2 1/2 year-old wethers averaging 86kg for $140 a head to Fletchers International Exports adds value to the wool they produced averaging 10kg at 1100c/kg. Mark Jones said lambs wool this year fetched 1230c/kg shorn at five months and 56 millimetres in length.
Another returning client of 15 years, Kevin Welsh, “Round Range”, Eugowra, secured three rams at $3750 each for his 700 ewes of 18.2 micron with wethers growing 8kg fleeces this year.
Mr Welsh said he was keeping more wethers among the 1500 head flock. “Each could be cutting $100 of wool a year for me,” he said. His purchases were by three different sires and growing 20.8, 14.9 and 18.5 micron wool.
Maree Stockman, “Forest Lodge”, Gubbata, returned for her fifth year to purchase 12 rams for a $2417 average and topping at $3250 for a 100kg son of LM179 growing 19.1 micron wool. Forest Lodge runs a 2000 ewe flock of 19 micron average cutting an average 7kg fleece. Ms Stockman said her aim was to improve the woolcut within the flock. “These are high-growth rams with dense wool which stops the dust in our country,” she said.
The Knight family, “Wattle Villa”, Grenfell, secured six rams averaging $3792, topping at $4500 for a 19.7 micron son of LM179 weighing 96kg. Another at $4250 was an 18.2 micron son of OC. The Mulligan family, Hillcrest, bought six rams topping at $4000 to average $3375 with the top of the draft a son of LM179 of 18.7 micron wool.
Forest View Farming, “Dumfries”, West Wyalong, purchased six rams at a $3250 average and topping at $4500 for a 104kg ram sired by OC Prince growing 21.9 micron wool. Grenfell-based Taylor family of “Collingwood”, Caragabal, bought five rams to $4250 to average $2950
The sale was conducted by Elders and Landmark with Paul Jameson, Elders, Dubbo, and John Settree, Landmark, Dubbo, sharing auctioneering duties.
