A RED-HOT lamb market and a promising season has helped Ridgehaven Poll Dorset stud to a $4100 top price at its on-property sale yesterday.
The family-run stud, “Ridgehaven”, Cudal, presented an impressive line-up of 10 stud rams and 150 flock rams, selling all but one flock ram for an average price of $1478.
Demand for the rams was strong right until the end of the sale, with the final flock ram of the day making $1900, as both returning and new buyers from across the state cashed in on the even, meaty collection of rams.
The family also donated the sale of the first stud ram, which made $2200, to charity TEAR Australia.
The top-priced ram, sired by Tattykeel Marshall, was bought by Chris Roweth, Windy Hill Poll Dorset stud, Blayney.
The 17-month-old, 131-kilogram ram boasted the largest eye muscle area (EMA) among the stud rams at 42.03 square centimetres.
Mr Roweth said the ram was the fifth ram he and his wife Fiona had bought from Ridgehaven, and the rams suit the Tablelands country. He said he had clients which liked the Ridgehaven blood.
The Ridgehaven breeding objectives were a drawcard for Mr Roweth, who likes to focus on a high yielding carcase with good shape in his stud, which has been running since 1978.
Mr Roweth, who runs 200 stud ewes, said he was impressed by the ram’s length, EMA and carcase.
His stud sale will take place on November 2 at the Carcoar Showground, offering 70 rams.
Mr Roweth also runs 1600 crossbred ewes to produce trade lambs.
“I want rams that will work for me as a prime lamb producer,” he said.
“The lamb market is great, and the prices for suckers is exceptional.”
Mr Roweth said another boost for the lamb industry is, with high cattle prices, cattle breeders are not ‘jumping ship’ into the lamb industry and flooding the market.
Volume buyers also were keen to snap up quality flock rams, with Ray Townsend, of the Townsend Brothers, “Glenavy”, Eugowra, buying 16 rams for an average of $1500.
Mr Townsend, a repeat buyer, said his rams ticked all the boxes for his lamb operation, which includes lambing 3000 first-cross ewes and producing both sucker lambs as well as heavier lambs.
“They are not too long to produce solid, blocky lambs,” he said.
Mr Townsend also grows lucerne, as well as broadacre crops including Naparoo wheat and Moby barley.
Rideghaven stud was begun by Ron and Jessie Legge in 1965, and has been continued by son Floyd Legge and daughters Isabele Roberts and Ruth Klingner and their families.
Floyd Legge said his family was very happy with the result, which surpassed last year’s sale average.
Mr Legge said the stud aimed to listen to what consumers and butchers were saying, looking for good shape in the loin and good depth in the hindquarter.
“You want it to carry meat right down the leg,” he said.
Mr Legge said the stud liked to produce rams to throw good, meaty lambs which could be sold as suckers or grown out to heavy export weight.
“We want to make sure growth is consistent. At any point there needs to be enough fat coverage to maintain meat quality,” he said.
The sale was conducted by Kevin Miller Whitty and Lennon, Forbes, and McCarron Cullinane and Chudleigh, with Luke Whitty and Adam Chudleigh taking the bids.
