Tasmanian Merino breeders were in force at the Roseville Park Merino ram sale, Glenwood, Dubbo, on Thursday, buying 10 rams including the $26,000 top and $18,000 second top-priced rams.
IN an exceptional result all 210 rams cleared at auction for a Roseville Park stud record average of $3009 while the $26,000 sale was also an on-property sale record for Matthew and Cherie Coddington and family.
Buyer of six of the rams heading to the Apple Isle, Damian Meaburn, now Nutrien Ag Solutions' Tasmanian Merino specialist and formerly of Ruralco, outlaid $77,000 on his purchases for clients including the $26,000 for RP19.0063, a son of Alfoxton 150430 growing 18.5 micron wool, bought for the Rockford Merino stud, Bothwell.
Mr Meaburn said this ram ticked all the boxes.
"He has the frame, scale and X-factor - he's from the top performing ewe within the Roseville Park stud flock." Mr Meaburn said.
The Rockford flock runs 10,000 ewes growing wool of 18.5 to 19 micron.
Mr Meaburn also paid $18,000 second top price for the Yarrawonga 170193 sired RP19.0055, growing 17.6 micron wool for Stonehouse owners Roy Freeman and Tony Seymour, Lemont, Tas.
Mr Meaburn said Stonehouse runs 17,000 Merinos of 18.5 to 19 micron, plus 5000 Angus cattle and purchased the ram for its breeding program as had been on Roseville Park blood for 15 years.
The other Tasmanian-based purchaser of four rams for a $3375 and a top of $5000 was Deeck Pastoral, Melton, Mowbray.
Mr Meaburn returned to the high-prices circle when he bid to $12,000 for the top-priced Poll Merino ram, purchased for Steve Phillips, Yarrawonga stud, Harden.
This ram was a twin PP-Poll growing 184 micron.
Among the large gathering of registered bidders in attendance 47 at the sale, plus five rams bought on-line through AuctionsPlus purchased all in the catalogue.
Roseville Park principal, Matthew Coddington, said he was very pleased with the sale result.
"It's a good average because it's the most rams we have ever put up for sale at home," he said.
"We usually have our Victoria sale with 50 rams and 150 here at Glenwood, so we usually auction 200 but due to Covid, all were auctioned here."
Mr Coddington said the demand from Victoria was very high and he thought that reflected on his closer communication with those clients due to Covid.
"From discussions, we realised we were going to have a shortage of poll rams in the sale and in particular poll rams which had high ASBVs for fat and muscle which breeders in the south are chasing more these days, plus lamb survivability and fertility," he said.
"That's our highest price on-property, the previous highest was $22,000, but I was pleased there were a lot of lower-priced rams within the catalogue enabling commercial breeder clients to fulfill their budgets."
- Full report in The Land in September 24 edition.
