The Litchfield family of Hazeldean, Cooma offered 14 of their proven performers at their 2021 Best of the Best Ram Sale on Friday.
The rams on offer sold for a top price of $12,000, paid by David Shorter of Burren Junction, over the phone, for the first lot that went under the hammer.
The sale topper, Hazeldean 19000019, was a poll ram by Pooginook 14961 and Hazeldean's Bea Bradley Litchfield said he stood out for his wool cutting ability.
"He's a super cutter with a very good barrel on him, good yearling weight, fleece weight and overall performance," Ms Bradley Litchfield said.
The ram had a fibre diameter of -2.00, yearling fleece weight percentage of 35.60 (in the top five per cent), a yearling weight of 9.27 and Merino Plus index of 195.71.
There were 13 of the 14 rams sold for an average price of $4192, clients from the local region showing their support, alongside bidders from the Southern Tablelands.
Buyers included the Guthrie family of Delegate, who purchased three rams and Adam Roberson, Berridale, who came away with two, as did Jock Allen, Berridale.
The sale followed Hazeldean's annual Woolgrowers Breakfast which featured speakers including Delta Ag agronomist James Cheetham, on filling the winter feed gap, Gordon Litchfield of Gordon Litchfield Wool, on the wool market outlook, and Elders livestock production manager Rob Inglis, on managing flock nutrition during periods of surplus dry feed.
Hazeldean's Jim Litchfield also gave an update on the stud's direction and progress, outlining their goals, including increasing weaning and yearling weight while holding mature weight, increasing fleece weight and staple strength and decreasing fibre diameter.
Hazeldean's yearling fleece weight has gone from 12.9 in 2011 to 25.2 in 2019, while yearling weight moved from 1.7 to 3.7 in the same period.
The stud is also looking to decrease body wrinkle over time and Hazeldean is now conducting breech wrinkle scoring at marking and body wrinkle scoring on all hoggets and mature ewes.
The sale was conducted by Nutrien with Tim Woodham taking the bids.
