Strong demand and spirited bidding cleared all but two ewes at the annual Abelene Park Poll Dorset Spring Ram and Ewe sale near Tamworth on Thursday.
In the breakdown, the Marshall family sold all 51 Poll Dorset rams to a top of $3000 and an average of $2079; five White Suffolk / Poll Dorset rams for a $2080 average; and eight from ten 2019 drop Poll Dorset ewes to average $575.
Abelene Park also offered and sold a 12-month-old White Suffolk ram which made $2000 selling to Inverell based bulk buyers, Tony and Janet Redman.
In a first for the stud, buyers were presented with estimated breeding values (EBVs) on all the rams.
"We introduced Lambplan this year to assist with selection," Abelene Park co-principal Marshall Douglas.
"It's good to put the rams under genetic selection when we have normally just concentrated on phenotype."
Mr Marshall complimented this year's sale draft topper, Tag 112T with a balanced set of figures, assuring new owners, Annabel Ashworth and Eric Fair, Cudgee Poll Dorsets, that they picked "a winner".
The 108 kilogram 'Dozer' Yentrac 710-15 son was purchased by the Tamworth based stud for $3000.
"He was a twin out of a maiden ewe and was actually selected on our show team," Mr Douglas said.
Mrs Ashworth and Mr Fair run 50 stud Poll Dorset ewes and have been regular clients of Abelene Park for many years.
They like the "clean face, length, eye muscle, straight back and overall appeal" of their new stud sire and look forward to the ram improving "carcase, length and weight" in their flock.
Volume buyers were Tony and Janet Redman, Highlands, Inverell who due to a Brucellosis outbreak had to re-stock their sire battery.
Securing 16 lots in the sale to average $1993, the Redman family were confident spending their money with Abelene Park after having great success with their rams over the past 7 years.
"Compared with Dorsets 40 odd years ago these (Abelene Poll Dorset) are slimmer giving you lambing ease yet maintaining great weight," Mr Redman said.
"I join predominantly Dohne ewes and the lambs have the ability to be sold from 40 kilograms up to 70 or 80 kilograms, there is a market for them as they don't lay down fat," added Mr Redman who runs a commercial flock of 5000 ewes.
Andrew and Cassie Sutherland, Castle Mountain Pastoral Company, Quirindi secured a draft of 10 rams to top at $2300 and average $2100; while Manilla breeders, Paul and Lorraine Taber, secured one ram for $2100 and 3 ewes for a $700 average.
Grant Mcilveen, Gunnedah, purchased Braemar Poll Dorsets from the Foggarty family in 2019 and continued the stud's relationship with Abelene Park.
"After purchasing a ram from their (Abelene Park) recent online sale, this was a great opportunity to purchase two ewes from the sale to go in with our August ewes, they will also be good travel companions for the ram," Mr Mcilveen said.
In a year for firsts, the sale was conducted by McCulloch Agencies, Tamworth with Daniel McCulloch as auctioneer.
It was the agency's first stud sale since they formed in 2019.
"It's good to be back in the stud game, I've had a long association with the Douglas family from being at their first sale in 2002 and only ever missing two sales in 18 years," Mr McCulloch said.
"Abelene Park are some of the Australia's best Poll Dorset bloodlines and it was really rewarding to see a strong market for them.
"In saying that, supply was a strong factor in today's sale result and some long term buyers missed rams because the market was so dear but it just goes to show what an auction system can do to a sale."