Karori Merinos cleared close to three-quarters of it's 21st on-property ram sale offering at Walcha, despite a subdued ram market and an extraordinarily wet season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
All up, 45 rams were sold from 62 poll and horned rams offered to a top of $3750 and average of $1550.
The top equalled last year's high of $3750, but the average was slightly down from $2303 in 2022.
Vendors, Rob, Katrina, Edward and Karen Blomfield, Walcha, have battled with the 1600-plus millimetres of rain in the past 12 months, yet managed to offer a well-presented draft.
The $3750 top-priced ram sold to return buyer Greg Wright, Glencoe.
The horned, superfine wool ram had a Fibre Production Plus figure of 159, as well as a figure of 12.0 for yearling clean fleece weight, -2.5 yearling fibre diameter and a 2.4-micron standard deviation.
Mr Wright purchased four rams to average $2062 and reflected on the entire sale draft being very even with "not much difference between the best and bottom ram".
"It's hard to say that just one ram is the pick of the whole sale today. You should be putting about 20 in the same category, as anyone who bought a ram should be confident they'll do the job," he said
The second top price of $3500 was reached twice by Toulon Pastoral Company, Glanmire and GDM Schaefer, Walcha.
Both buyers only purchased the one ram each to complete their orders.
A buyer of Karori Merinos for more than 20 years, Marg McFarland, Walcha, purchased 15 rams to a top of $1750 and average of $1316.
Mrs McFarland's rams were purchased on behalf of Pitt Sons agent, Ron Vincent, Walcha.
Alt Bros Pastoral, Glen Innes, purchased four rams to average $1437.
The top-priced buyer at Karori's 2022 sale, Justin Hoad, Uralla, only purchased two rams this year for a $2000 average.
Karori Merino's stud principal and classer Katrina Blomfield reflected on the "tough year ram sales have had in the New England".
"We were pleased with how we presented the rams today, they had beautiful white, soft wools and plain bodies," she said.
"Despite the fact that we had over 1600mm of rain in the past 12 months we had a solid wool clip and made strong prices for the wool."
The sale was covered by AWN and Nutrien, Armidale, with stud stock auctioneer John Settree taking bids.
