Merino rams topped at $5250 and averaged $1872 at Merryville merinos

As New South Wales gets ready to come out of lockdown in various regions, the challenge of interstate borders closures continued to create challenges for many ram buyers at the Merryville Merino ram sale on Friday.

In the wrap up 113 of 139 Merino and Poll Merino rams sold to the $5250 top and averaged $1872.

The top ram was an 18 micron ram from the Ringmaster Syndicate sire, with a 3.3 standard deviation, 18.3 coefficient variation and a 99.5 comfort factor.

He was bought by Neil Collins, Hunterston via Yarran, Victoria, who runs 2000 Superfine Merino ewes, averaging 16.5 micron and has been on Merryville bloodlines for 60 years to chase progeny that can produce top quality wool for the Italian trade market.

Mr Collins said he knew of the ram and nearly bought him a few months ago, but decided to follow him through until sale day and now had the challenge of getting him over the border.

Demondrille Merino stud paid $4500 for one of the second top priced rams, which happened to be a poll ram by the Uniform Poll 17^th sire at 18.2 micron, with a 2.5 standard deviation (SD), a 13.7pc coefficient of variation (CV) and 99.8pc comfort factor (CF).

Sibley Partnership, Ringwood, Hargreaves, also loaded a poll ram at $4500 by the TW7.63 sire at 16.4 micron, before snapping a second up at $1500.

JF and JE Baxter, Marcole Park, Old Junee, snapped up a $4000 stylish poll sire by Uniform Bolte, with a 3.1 SD, 17.8pc CV, 99.6pc CF at 17.4 micron.

Volume buyers then kicked in when the Morse family, Spire View, Coonabarabran, set a solid floor in the market buying 20 rams to a top of $1500 and averaging $1100 across their draft.

Girvanlea Pty Ltd, Horsham, through AWN bought eight rams at the top end, averaging $2438, while Jeff Fitzgerald, Harrow, Vic, spent $20,000 on his seven rams to average $2857.

The sale was conducted by Elders and Nutrien, with Steve Ridley and Rick Power as the auctioneers.