BARGAINS were found at the Allendale Merino stud’s ram sale at Wellington last Saturday with 58 of the 64 rams selling at auction to a top price of $3600 and a $1421 average for Tony and Penny Inder and family.
The Inders breed a Pooginook daughter stud with their Merino ram in this sale growing wool of an average 18.4 micron and body weights averaging 90 kilograms.
First-time buyer, Sam Kirby of Barham Pty Ltd, Winchester, Molong, bought two rams including the sale-topper at $3600.
This top-priced ram was a 19.7 micron son of an Allendale Syndicate while Mr Kirby’s second purchase, at $1600, was a 16.5 micron son of Pooginook Patrick, purchased by Allendale in 2016.
Long-time Allendale clients, the Doherty brothers, Mark and Peter, and families, Roine, Goolma, returned to secure the second and third top-priced rams of the day.
Chasing 100 per cent comfort factor sires, their second-top purchase at $3400 was a 17.5 micron son of a Allendale Syndicate sire while the other at $3000 was a 16.7 micron son of Pooginook Surprise, introduced to the Allendale stud flock in 2014. Both purchases had 100pc comfort factor wool.
The Dohertys join 900 Merino ewes of 19 micron average wool cutting 6.5 kilograms.
Anthony and Libby James, Springvale Pastoral Company, Springvale, Coolah, returned and bought six rams averaging $1500 and topping at $1800 twice for their 3500 ewe flock of 18.8 to 20 micron cutting up to 6kg of wool.
A son of Pooginook Patrick growing 18.2 micron wool was one of the two draft-toppers while the other of 19.5 micron was by an Allendale Syndicate sire.
The Darlington family, Karringal, Geuire, also returned, this year to secure one ram for an $1800 outlay being a son of Pooginook Shaun, purchased by Tony Inder in 2016 for the Pooginook sale top-price of $15,000.
Warren and Justine Croake, South Meroo, Meroo, returned for their sixth year to buy five rams topping at $1600 twice to average $1360. Their top lots included a son of the Glendonald sire the Inders had purchased a half-share in at a Dubbo National Merino ram sale. The other was by an Allendale Syndicate ram.
Mr Croake said the family was moving their operation from Meroo to the Coolah district and will join 17,000 ewes to lamb in April and in August.
Their flock grows an 18 micron average wool and cuts an average 6.5kg fleece.
“These rams put more wool on our sheep and have also made them bigger,” Mr Croake said.
Running their wethers up to four-year-olds, Mr Croake sad the cast-for-age ewes and wethers were cutting more wool.
Long-time Allendale buyers, Larry and Helen Yeo, Murrawega, Gollan, came back to buy three rams for a $1533 average and topping at $2000 for a Syndicate son growing 17.6 micron.
Greg Woodlock, Tuskan Pastoral, Kaloola, The Marra Creek, was the purchaser of the most rams buying 11 for a $1073 average and topping at $1400 for an ram by the homebred syndicate.
A client of many years standing, Mr Woodlock said he normally joins 3500 Merino ewes in his self-replacing flock in February. The flock average 20 micron, while wool cuts average 6kg.
He said ewe numbers would be back a little this year due to the extended dry, however, he markets his wether lambs from either home of Forbes saleyards, saying the Forbes market lends itself to fatteners along the Lachlan River.
The sale was conducted by Australian Wool Network, Mudgee, and Milling Stuart, Dunedoo, with John Stuart as the auctioneer.