BUYERS utilised the opportunity to secure what were some of the best rams to be offered by the Shalimar Park Merino stud as prices hit affordable levels during Thursday’s on-property sale.
Wollun vendors Alison and Joe van Eyk offered 56 Merino and Poll Merino rams at auction with 37 selling for an $881 average.
It was the first ram of the sale, a horned September/October 2016 son of the SP Superfine Syndicate, who hit the top price of $1800 when purchased by Australian Wool Network’s Harold Manttan on behalf of Barry and Sue Anderson, Maids Valley Partnership, Matherson.
The March shorn ram had measurements of 17.9 micron with a standard deviation of 2.6 and a comfort factor of 99.8 per cent.
Shalimar Park’s Alison van Eyk said the ram was a really good type with beautiful wool and a big frame.
With a focus on size, style and structural correctness, Ms van Eyk said it had showed in the evenness of the 2019 offering.
But as expected, seasonal conditions had hampered the sale prices.
“It was tough but they went through, hand picked the rams that they wanted and paid quite well for those ones,” she said.
“It’s a sign of the season and a lot of people are hurting fairly well. They have fed all last winter and some of them are still feeding or looking to feed again so it’s to be expected.”
Among the 18 registered bidders at the sale were Ian, Kate and Charlotte Wehr, Wiltunga Properties, Dundee, who purchased five rams averaging $880 and topping at $1200.
They run a flock of 2000 ewes and had last purchased from the Shalimar Park sale about five or six years ago.
Mr Wehr had initially arrived at the sale to purchase at least two rams but with the lower prices decided to grab a few more.
“They just seem to do reasonably well on our country,” he said.
Also a bulk buyer of five rams was the Black Family, Sofia Hills, Scone, with their order topping at $1200 to average $720.
Prior to the auction commencement, Elders agent Nick Hall told the crowd the rams were some of the best seen at the sale in some time.
He commended the line of sires for “punching out big staple lengths”.
The sale was conducted by Elders and Landmark with Nick Hall, Elders, 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.
