A CONTINUED focus to breed large body weight Merino rams paid off for the McBurnie family of Balladoran when their annual Weealla ram sale hit a top of $6200 on Saturday, one of the highest prices the stud has seen.
A total of 88 of the 90 rams on offer were sold, with the Merino draft averaging $1452 and the Poll Merinos finding a $1761 average, up by $182 on last year.
While some clients couldn’t attend due to seasonal conditions and others bought less, the sale was boosted by the bidding of six new buyers who had seen the Weealla genetics at the Dubbo Merino National Show and Sale and South West Slopes field day.
Breeding bigger sheep has been a key focus for Weealla and stud principal Stuart McBurnie said their progress was evident with their offering of 90 June/July drop rams averaging 104 kilograms.
“The first 11 averaged 119 kilograms,” he said.
“We are pushing body weight to compete with maternal and terminal sires.
“We feel that you don’t need to breed a cross bred ram, we’re making them bigger and faster to sell those wether lambs.”
Mr McBurnie said about four buyers had to top up their orders with grade rams after the sale.
“It was pleasing that there was solid support and we maintained our average,” he said.
“To sell (that many) in spite of the tough season, I think it’s wool prices and sheep prices that are sticking to people at the moment. I know a lot have big feed bills too.”
The sale top price of $6200 was reached for an ET bred Merino ram by a Glendonald sire and was secured by repeat buyer John Rae, Quambone.
It was the highest price Mr Rae had ever paid for a ram but he couldn’t look past the ram’s wool and cover.
Prices in the poll offering were just as high with the fourth ram in the catalogue secured by new purchaser Robert Kingston, Lowanna stud, Eugowra, for $5000.
The ram was sired by Collinsville Imperial 141 after the McBurnies utilised some semen.
The Collinsville ram became highly regarded in their flock, having retained three half brothers to their sale topping polly.
Mr Kingston had been chasing the Collinsville Imperial 141 genetics for some time and noticed the McBurnies’ ram at Dubbo.
He said the ram’s genetics along with his skin structure made him a worthwhile purchase, even staying with the budget.
The ram will be joined with the top females in Mr Kingston’s small stud flock, which sits at about 300 ewes, aimed at producing wool averaging 21 micron.
Buyers travelled to the sale from local areas while rams also found homes in Victoria and Queensland.
Bulk buyer on the day was Wattlebank Pastoral, Victoria, who secured eight rams topping at $3250.
PC Williams Partnership at Tullamore took home six rams to a top of $1500 while Landmark Stud Stock’s Brad Wilson was able to buy five rams for the Thompson family, Tara, Queensland, with their dearest purchase reaching $3250.
The sale was conducted by Landmark and Elders with Rick Power as auctioneer.
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
