Border Leicester's are again enjoying their day in the sun, after a new price record was set at the 31st Horsham National sale during this selling season.
Ian and Heather Baker's Gerardine stud, Clydebank, exited the industry with a $30,250 ram at the 31st Horsham National Border Leicester online sale.
"I was a little bit surprised, I was hoping for around $18,000 and I thought it would be good to get 20-grand," Mr Baker said.
COVID-19 meant the ram could not be displayed at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show or the Royal Melbourne Show, which meant it was harder for potential buyers to physically inspect the rams offered at Horsham.
"I took them over to Horsham and put 'em on display," Mr Baker said.
"There were five people came and looked and two people, who were losing bidders, went home with empty trailers.
'They didn't want to do business on line."
He said he still felt a physical auction was required, interfaced with an online platform, so potential bidders could physically inspect the sheep on offer.
"There's still got to be an auction, whereby people can inspect the sheep," he said.
"Jamie Buerckner, Bauer Border Leicester stud, Ariah Park, NSW (the successful bidder) made mention he would never have spent that sort of money without seeing the ram."
The Border Leicester's were different from pure meat-breed sheep, because they had different attributes.
"We can all open the wool up, on the best part of the body, but they need to be covered underneath.
"With the Pollies (Poll Dorsets) and the meat sheep you are looking at the body, not so much wool wise.
"Border Leicesters need dark points, you might buy one online and find he has a white foot or something."
Flock ram sales for the Border Leicester industry had been 'enormous' this year.
"When Poll Dorsets were averaging $2000, the old Border Leicesters were making about $800-1200 or something," he said.
"The industry is on a high, for use as a Merino cross.
"I think commercial operators have tried other options that haven't worked quite as well as the Border Leicester/Merino-cross.
"But it'll turn, don't worry about that."
It was also encouraging to see young breeders taking up Border Leicesters.
"Most of them are really opening their wallets to buy young ewes and they are all registering studs.
"I've been looking at the stud book, there are quite a lot of new breeders and we haven't had those new young breeders for quite a long time.
'They are young breeders who are willing to have a red-hot go."
Merino stand-out
One of the stand-outs from the Merino sector was Stud Park South, Willaura, which doubled its top price on 2020.
Stud principal Pat Millear achieved a top price of $13,000, after there was strong interest from several parties in buying the ram.
"He was a really modern-type Merino so he was well sought after, which was very encouraging for us," Mr Millear said.
"Surplus sheep sales are going through the roof, restocker inquiry has been huge in the last two years.
"it's a feed driven market, to some extent, because you have feed from the north to the south."
The strong lamb market, and the wool market 'ticking along' were also drivers behind the high ram prices.
Mr Millear said buyers were also chasing fertility.
"Everyone is trying to breed that sheep that is ticking all the boxes with carcase, wool and fertility traits."