THE Nivison family celebrated a $6000 high at their 30th annual Yalgoo Merino ram sale near Walcha last Saturday.
All 74 rams offered were sold to average $1989.
In the break down, 44 Poll Merino rams sold to a sale high of $6000 and average of $2164, while 30 Merino rams topped at $4000 and averaged $1814.
Another 1548 Yalgoo blood Merino ewe hoggets were also offered at the sale with the top pen fetching $182 per head and the overall draft averaging $165 per head.
To mark the milestone ram sale, stud principal Jock Nivision put up a ‘buyers’ choice’ stud sire, giving buyers the opportunity to secure one of the stud’s highest performing stud sires.
“I couldn’t choose between the three sires so I thought the buyer could choose,” Mr Nivison said.
Client of 20 years, Charlie Street, Blaxland, Walcha, purchased the buyers’ choice ram for $6000.
After much deliberation and eager input from fellow breeders and under-bidders, Mr Street made the choice to bid high and secure Yalgoo 160082. It was a CP204 son measuring in the top five per cent in the Fibre Production Plus (FP+) index with 166 and Merino Production Plus (MP+) index of 164.
The poll ram measured raw data at 10 months including 15.7-micron, coefficient of variation (CV) of 18.1, greasy fleece weight (GFW) 135 per cent and birth weight (BW) 116 per cent.
Mr Street was searching for a proven stud sire to compliment his AI program, joining 2500 ewes annually in an ultrafine wool operation.
“We breed our own rams and have been undergoing an AI program with Yalgoo semen for 10 years,” Mr Street said.
“This sire is a large/medium framed ram with great feet and superior phenotype, has one of the most balanced ASBV profiles in the breed and has proven pedigree for higher wool and lamb production per hectare.
“We will give him his own 100 ewes then use as a back up sire to our AI program.”
Longtime Yalgoo supporter, Matt Macarthur-Onslow, Cannanbri, Walcha, secured three rams to average $3800.
Included in his draft was the second highest price, a Y14261 son Poll ram with a FP+ of 155 and an MP+ of 151 purchased for $5400.
The young sire also measured 179 on the Yalgoo index, a CFW of 10 per cent, -2.7 micron FD dev, and 6.2 for YWT.
The local ultrafine wool grower said it was the performance, constitution and adaptability of the Yalgoo rams that keep him coming back year on year.
“We typically join 4200 ewes annually and the Yalgoo rams have good WEC, constitution and the wool doesn't run out, it stays good in the sheep’s old age,” he said.
Johnny Coughlan, Cudal Park, Cudal, was chasing poll rams on the day with positive IMF, positive fat, good growth rates and staple strength, and a CP204 son did just that.
Purchased for $5000, Mr Coughlan secured a further two rams to average $4267.
Fernleigh Enterprises, Ellerston, had been a strong advocates for Yalgoo for 25 years and complimented their pure Yalgoo blood flock with five rams to average $3640 under the guidance of AWN’s John Croake.
UNE Rural Properties, Armidale, returned for their second year to secure 11 rams for a $2400 top and a $1473 average while Parkvale Trust, Parkes ,selected seven rams to average $2657
The sale was conducted by Elders Walcha with auctioneer, Andy McGeogh.
