THE tough season made itself known at the Blaxland Poll Mer- ino stud's 10th on-property ram sale, held last Thursday at "Lyndhurst", outside Tamworth.
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Stud principal Mark Blax-land offered 60, 17-month-old rams at the sale but only eight were sold for a $600 top and average, though the sale did attract both repeat and new buyers.
Mr Blaxland said the combination of the dry season and tougher superfine wool market had affected the market for new sires.
"It's the dry weather that has really affected the sale - everybody is running out of feed," he said.
Volume buyer Les Blanch, "Boxwood", Loomberah, bought three rams for $600 each, to join to his Codding- ton Poll-blood Poll Merino ewes.
This was the first year Mr Blanch had bought Blaxland rams, having just gotten into Poll Merinos, and he said he was looking for some new blood for his flock from large-framed sires with finer wool.
Long-time vendor Rob Poll- ock, "Springvale", Willow Tree, bought two rams at $600.
"These are some of the best rams about - I go for the finer wool sires, though none are really what you'd call broad, and they've still got plenty of frame on them," he said.
The Helmsman auction was conducted by the Australian Wool Network and Davidson Cameron McCulloch and Company, Tamworth.
Holly McAlister
Journalist for The Land at Tamworth.
Journalist for The Land at Tamworth.
