Yallaroo Border Leicester to sale top $1900

Securing the top priced offering was local repeat client Mary Wilkinson of Guyra.

The volume buyer on the day was Inglewood (Wallabada) Pastoral company which took away seven rams to a top price of $1200.

Repeat buyer Chris and Linda Watters at The Range, Enmore via Uralla successfully purchased two rams to a top of $1500.

"We were the losing bidder on the top-priced ram," said Chris Watters.

"We've been the top-priced buyer for the last 10 years."

Farming on the eastern escarpment of the Enmore district, Mr Watters said Yallaroo Border Leicester rams produced well in that locality.

"They work well for us," he said.

"They have a good constitution. A lot of Border Leicesters can be a bit touchy but these are better for us.

"They are a very good type for the breed and produce a nice long lamb. It's all about length for weight."

Mr Watters said practice at The Range involved putting Border Leicester rams over Merino ewes to produce first cross lambs. From there they put Dorset rams over the first cross ewes.

"For us that gives us the biggest yield," he said.

"However, we are nervous of the mutton price at the moment. And the season appears to have come off the boil.

"Producer like us are worried. Processors can't get rid of export lambs."

Agent and auctioneer John Croake, AWN, said the Yallaroo draft was the best he had seen in the last decade but economic conditions had put a dampener on ram sales so far, with only five registered bidders at Yallaroo and 14 rams sold of 50.

"It was a tough sale but buyers have jumped for the last couple of year and might not need new rams for a couple more years."

"My gut feeling is that with the British breeds, there will be resurgence in buyer demand if not next year then the year after."

Read more: First cross ewes to $355 at Nerrandera.

Read more: Superfine rams to $18,000 at Armidale.