There was rock solid support from return buyers at the Rocklyn Merino ram sale on Thursday, September 22.
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The sale at Greenethorpe, near Grenfell, averaged $1581 as 74 rams from 100 offered sold to a top price of $3000.
That top price was achieved twice, with both rams going to return buyers.
HB and VJ Knight and Sons, Grenfell, took home one of the top-priced rams in 220060.
The ram had a fibre diameter of 19.4 micron, standard deviation of 3.2 micron, coefficient of variation of 16.3 per cent, comfort factor of 99.6pc while his Australian sheep breeding value (ASBV) for dual purpose plus index (DP+) ranked in the top 10 per cent at +195.
The Knights took home a further two rams to an average of $2200.
Meanwhile, T.H. Cooper and Co, Caragabal, who went home with the top-priced ram at last year's sale, bought the other top-priced ram in 220613.
The ram has a fibre diameter of 19.1 micron, standard deviation of 2.6 micron, coefficient of variation of 13.6 per cent, comfort factor of 99.5pc.
His ASBVs ranked in the 5pc for Merino production index (MP+) with +192, and top 10pc for DP+ with +192, yearling clean fleece weight with +30 and yearling staple length with +18.7.
Melanie Cooper, T.H. Cooper and Co, said there was plenty to like about the ram.
"He had a nice big frame, good confirmation - he had good size about him," she said.
"He had nice, nourished, long-stapled wool.
"He had a high clean fleece weight - a good grower as well. Good early growth rates and a good amount of wool on him
"He's good for that dual purpose arrangement and his micron was also suitable for our flock."
The Coopers, who run a commercial flock, took home 10 rams in total to an average of $2120.
Other return volume buyers included who McKellar Pastoral Co, Grenfell, who bought 13 rams to an average of $1400 and WT & GE Mendham, Grenfell, who bought eight rams to an average of $1650.
New buyers, A & K Emerson, Holbrook, also went home with nine rams to an average of $1377.
Rocklyn's Ralph Diprose was pleased with the final result.
"I was quite happy with the end result given the poor seasonal outlook and the decline in the sheepmeat prices," he said.
"Our regular customers were back again plus some new buyers which was quite satisfying.
"We had new agents [AWN and Kevin Miller Whitty Lennon and Co] and we were very happy with the support from them."
The sale was conducted by AWN and Kevin Miller Whitty Lennon and Co with AWN's Geoff Rice the auctioneer.
Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
