Bendigo ram sale: Merinos sell to $26,000

Merino and Poll Merino rams sold for an average of $5145 at Bendigo.

Top price: Chris, Cindy and Cilla Clonan, 17, from Alfoxton Merino stud in Armidale, NSW, with their $26,000 ram they sold at Bendigo at the weekend. Picture: Chloe Smith

MERINO rams sold to $26,000 three times at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show ram sale in Bendigo in a solid but selective sale at the weekend.

It hinted at the demand issues that could arise at on-property spring sales this year due to fewer breeding ewes on-farm.

Of the 125 Merino and Poll Merino rams offered, 100 sold for an average of $5145.

The result is modestly better than last year’s sale where rams sold to $20,000 three times and averaged $5005.

“I think buyers have been selective, probably for lots of reasons but coming back to the main issue of less ewe numbers,’’ Chris Clonan of Alfoxton Poll Merino stud, Armidale, NSW said after achieving one of the top sales of $26,000.

“In our case we have only had 4½ inches (112.5mm) of rainfall for the year and it was very difficult to bring clients down with us as they are spending all their money on hay and grain and trying to keep flocks alive.’’

The broad conclusion from the sale was that the best rams were being targeted as buyers focus on quality over quantity with less stock to join.

The $26,000 Alfoxton ram was a Poll Merino of 16.5 mic­ron that was bred out of one of the stud’s leading ewes which had been a grand champion herself and has produced a line of sale-topping progeny.

Another $26,000 sale was for Glenpaen’s fine wool Merino ram, which had been judged the grand champion ram of the show.

Also attracting a $26,000 bid was a 22 micron ram from the Glendonald stud based at Nhill.

Rounding out the high priced sales was $21,000 for a 19.7 micron ram from West Australian Poll Merino stud Seymour Park, Narrogin.

Another six rams were priced between $10,000 and $18,000.

A breakdown of the sale shows more than half the rams sold for between $2000 and $4000.

Rodger Mathews, from Borambil Merinos at Corowa in southern NSW, said the market for rams was showing some constraint caused by the season.

“Well it certainly hasn’t gone silly here, and while the end result was reasonably solid, there would be some disappointed people,’’ Mr Matthews said.

Borambil sold four rams at Bendigo for an average of $6750.

Meanwhile, Riverina stud, Poll Boonoke sold a ram privately at Bendigo for $70,000 to Western Australian Merino studs, Manunda and Kamballie.