LIKE most Merino stud ram sales this spring the average price rose at Glenwood’s 17th on-property sale at Wellington last Friday by $417 to $2272 for the clearance of 117 rams from 120 offered.
Buyers, new and old, among the large gallery came from many parts of the state while bids and purchases were also made on behalf of absent buyers from Western Australia and Tasmania.
Glenwood principals, Norm and Pip Smith and family welcomed attendees. Mr Smith said even though wool and sheep markets were at record levels, the seasons in the past 10-plus months had been testing for everyone, including the Glenwood flock.
“It’s been as tough a winter here this year as I can remember, which has definitely put to the test the way we manage all classes of stock, including young rams,” Mr Smith said.
Top price of $5000 was paid by first-time buyers Adrian and Elizabeth Betts, Redbank, Coonabarabran, who said they were chasing soft rolling skin (SRS) sheep.
Mr Betts said their lone purchase, a 17.4 micron poll son of Glenwood 150255, displayed a yearling staple length of 17.79, more than two per cent higher than the sale draft average of 15.1.
“This ram has long white wool and is structurally sound,” he said. “We will join him to 100 specially selected ewes to breed flock rams for use within our 220 ewe flock.”
First-time buyers from Western Australia, shearing contractors Luke and Jessica Harding, Boyup Brook, bought four rams topping at $2500 and averaging $2225.
Mr Harding said the couple only had a small flock as they were mainly cropping on their property.
“We have a Merino commercial flock of 800 ewes of 18 micron average while my wife also has a White Suffolk stud.
“But we have been keeping an eye on the Smiths and their Glenwood SRS stud for the past 18 months. We like what they have been doing with their sheep and what they are trying to achieve, especially performance and fat figures, and that’s what we are chasing.”
Long-time established clients Stephen and Kate Kiss, Currawarra, Spicers Creek, returned and paid to $4670 and a $3975 average for four rams while David Lindsay, Mainstay Merinos, Laggan, paid to $4400 and a $2700 average for two rams.
Tasmanian repeat buyers, Mayfield Farms (Tas) Pty Ltd, Cressie, outlaid an average $2640 for five rams topping at $3500. Another Tasmanian buyer, Patrick Taylor, purchased three rams topping at $3500 and averaging 2733.
David Kensitt, Moorabinda, Crookwell, bought eight rams to $3500 averaging $2688 while another SRS stud breeder, Jim McLaughlin, Merryanbone North, Warren, paid to $3100 and a $2850 average for two rams.
New England wool growers Graham and Ross Price, Marouan, Glencoe, purchased five rams paying to $3500 and a $2640 average while Rylstone breeder, Daniel Muscat, bought eight rams to $2300 averaging $1663.
Angus Maurice, Springdale Partnership, Bonview, Spicers Creek, also bought eight rams which averaged $2013 with the draft’s top purchase at $3200. Mr Maurice’s Glenwood blood flock participating in a study benchmarked from 2015 to 2017 had the highest revenue per DSE and highest net gross margin per DSE with lowest variable costs as a percentage of livestock income.
The sale was conducted by Peter Milling and Company, Wellington and Dubbo, with Danny Tink and Tom Pollard the auctioneers.