LOCAL support from long-term buyers pushed prices to an $8000 top during the 27th annual Brundanella Merino and Poll Merino on-property ram sale held at Victoria Park, Grenfell on Tuesday last week.
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Owned by Ian and Janet Griffith, the Brundanella stud increased its offering by 20 rams this year, off the back of a sell-out sale and strong result last year.
Overall at their 2022 sale, the Griffith family sold 72 out of 90 rams to result in a 80 per cent clearance rate, $8000 top and $3080 average. The top was up from $7250, while the average was back from $3420 during last year's sale.
The lead lot of the sale was highly sought after, making the top money of the day selling to long-term clients the Beath family of Bryton Wool, Canowindra, for $8000.
Drawing interest after he was on display at the recent South West Slopes Stud Merino Breeders Field Day, Harden, the Brundanella 21-1 ram, still with his lambs teeth, was by eight-year-old sire 'Big Al' 14-002 who is still alive and siring lambs in the paddock.
"It is nice to see he can still produce sale leading rams," Ian Griffith said.
The young tag 21-1 polled ram weighed 110.6 kilograms had an 18.8-micron fleece with a standard deviation of 2.8 micron, a comfort factor of 99.3pc, eye muscle depth of 44.5 millimetres, fat depth of 6mm and breech wrinkle score (BWS) of one.
"That ram had it all... a beautiful soft fleece, and his figures were brilliant - 44.5mm EMD is good for a young ram," he said.
The Beath family put together a draft of nine rams averaging $2722.
Springfield Partnership, Grenfell, purchased eight rams at the top end of the draft to average $4031. Its selections included the $7500 second-top ram, Brundanella 21-8 a 20.1-micron son of KNP-610.
The 102kg polled ram had measurements of 3.4 SD, 99pc CF, 42.5mm EMD, 4.5mm fat and a BWS of one.
"His sire (KNP-610) was used as an AI sire in 2019 and he clicked with out ewes, and he has done it again - they're (his progeny) peas in a pod," Mr Griffith said.
Other volume buyers included Slater Brothers, Young, with eight rams at a $1593 average, and Valley Partnership, Cowra, with seven rams to a top of $4500 to average $2571.
Mr Griffith said overall they are happy with the sale results, but the crowd was unfortunately slightly down this year.
"It was obvious that all the plainer sheep with the big EMD measurements were sought after which is the way the industry is going. We also offered six or seven horned rams, and only sold one which is a sign of the times also," he said.
The sale was conducted by Nutrien with auctioneer Rick Power.
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