Repeat buyers chasing big, dual-purpose poll Merino rams helped Alfoxton stud clear 61 of 69 rams with an average of $2150, topping last year's result where only 50 rams averaged $2147.
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One of the buyers of the top-priced rams was Peter Reimers, Pearsby, Stanthorpe, Queensland, who runs 4000 ewes "in the heart of the traprock country".
Mr Reimers said he'd been a long-time client of Alfoxton, and his ram would be joined to a nucleus flock to provide rams for the larger commercial flock.
"We shear every eight months, so that's why we chose this ram with a longer staple," he said. "Shortening up our shearings has been a real game-changer for us."
The ram had a 15.7-micron fleece, a bodyweight of 93.5, a greasy fleece weight (GFW) percentage of 7.9 per cent and an eye muscle diameter (EMD) of 33 centimetres.
Mr Reimers said Pearsby was part of a cluster of neighbouring properties building an exclusion fence to restrict the predations of wild dogs, which will, in turn, increase lambing percentages and profitability.
Mr Reimers also paid $3000 for a 17.6-micron ram, tipping the scales at 112.5kg and a GFW of 6.4pc.
James and Jude Ballinger, Waverley Downs Merino stud, Lecoin, Delungra was the buyer of the other $5500 ram.
Their ram is destined for stud duties and weighs 101.5kg, has a micron of 16.8, an EMD of 34cm and a GFW of 7.8pc.
Volume buyer of the day was Simon and Rowan Croft, Milparinka Pastoral Company, Guyra, with 13 rams at auction with a top price of $4000, averaging $2307.
Simon Croft said he'd been buying at Alfoxton for three years and runs a flock of 2000 ewes.
"We're after big plain-bodied rams that have tonnes of wool," he said.
"We don't mules, and the dual purpose qualities of these rams give us multiple income streams, which you've got to have these days in the sheep industry."
Bidding over the phone was Mersey Valley Contracting, Lemont, Tasmania, buying the equal-second top-priced ram at $5000 for a 14.7-micron ram with a GFW of 6.3pc, an EMD of 27 and a weight of 85kg. Overall the Trust bought five rams averaging $2900.
Jill Spillsbury, Armidale bought the other equal-second top-priced ram at $5000 and another at $4000.
The Jackson Family Trust, Banchory Park, Guyra bought six rams to $3500, averaging $2166, while Livestock Industries, Chiswick, Armidale were also volume buyers with eight rams to $2500, averaging $1250.
Cadwallader and Company, Bathurst, bought six rams to a top of $4000, averaging $2833, while RB and MA Tulloch, Stanthorpe, Qld, bought three rams averaging $1333.
Stud co-principal Chris Clonan said the decision to sell all poll rams paid off with the clearance and the average prices with a draft of rams that averaged 93 kilograms and shorn twice in March and August yielded 6.7 kilograms of 16.2-micron wool.
"They are without doubt the heaviest and best-wooled rams we've ever presented," Mr Clonan said. "To have a successful Merino enterprise, you must rely on multiple income streams."
He said that good-yielding sheep across the board and on the hook make income streams more diverse and lucrative.
The selling agents were Elders Stud stock with Pal Dooley as the auctioneer. Auctions Plus provided the online interface.