Petali Poll Merinos topped at $6500 at the stud’s 23rd on-property sale near Walcha where repeat volume buyers put a strong floor in the market.
Martin and Cheryl Oppenheimer offered a draft of 70 rams with 59 sold at auction (with some lots sold after the sale) for an average $1961, up on last year’s $1900.
Fourteen rams sold for $3000 or more with bidders on AuctionsPlus adding to the competition, picking up eight.
Brendan Ostini, Ravecchia Poll Merino stud, “Springside”, Orange picked up the sale topper, a son of Karbullah 140047 with strong Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) for staple length and worm resistance.
The ram had ASBVs of +3.7 kilograms for yearling body weight, +11.6pc for yearling clean fleece weight, -0.9 for yearling fibre diameter, +14.5 millimetres for staple length, and -51 for worm egg count (WEC).
Mr Ostini said he liked the ram’s plain body, deep crimped wool and extra long staple.
He was joined by two other successful buyers from the Orange district with a relative, Lindy Crossley, Ostini Partnership, “Glenwirra”, Mullion Creek snapping up two rams for $2000 and $1500.
Paul Nicholls, “Glenlea”, Milthorpe near Orange also bought two, paying the sale’s second top price of $3750 for a son of Leahcim Poll 142032.
The ram had a strong early breech wrinkle ASBV of -0.9.
He also picked up 110 Poll Merino maiden stud ewes for $120.
Mr Nicholls is looking to breed sheep that don’t need mulesing.
The $3750 second top price was equalled by two other ram buyers – Blaxland Poll Merinos, Tamworth, and Simon Croft, Milparinka Pastoral Company, Guyra twice.
Milparinka went home with 11 rams.
The Pietsch family, Yarraford Trust, Glen Innes, bought eight including four at $3250.
Veolia Environmental Service, Tarago, put together a draft of seven to a top of $2750.
Petali stud principal, Martin Oppenheimer, said buyers were looking for fleece weight, growth and worm resistance.
The sale was conducted by Elders Walcha with Paul Dooley, from Tamworth, the guest auctioneer.