Ram sales: Kerin and Toland Poll studs enjoy average price push

Data-driven Merino studs have seen huge average lifts for their southern sales in the last week. See results from the top two studs.

Two joint ram toppers realised a top-price of $10,500 at the Toland Poll Merino ram sale. Here is buyer Edwina Sleigh, left, from Ruffy with Toland owners Anna Toland and Simon Riddle with one of the two top price rams. Picture: Zoe Phillips.

Toland Poll Merinos have doubled their average in a ripped sale earlier this week.

All 80 rams offered sold to full clearance, topping at $10,500 twice to average $4569 – up from their average of $2700 for 84 rams last year.

“We were up nearly $2000 from last year,” stud principal Anna Toland said.

“Every year you strive to beat your average, but I’ve got no idea what happened, I can’t even put it into words; it’s overwhelming, it’s phenomenal.

“Normally your first 10 or 20 rams are your better sheep and they sell amazingly it just kept going.

Anna suggested a dedicated host of returning clients and several new clients, combined with the bolstered sheep market to raise the price floor in the sale.

A new marketing push on their non-mulesed rams also drew competition from clients looking to supply wool through wool accreditation schemes such as RWS and Sustainawool.

“People are trying to make the change to unmulesed sheep because they’re becoming accredited which means they can’t buy mulesed rams – there’s a definite premium for the wool there too.

A total of 80 rams lined up on the day and sold to full clearance at the Toland sale. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Anna said the ram offering was very appealing to their commercial clients, having proved themselves through a tough season out in heavy rainfall, with 13 inches falling on them since shearing in April.

“We tried to keep them dry on the really big rain events but we gave up because the rain has just been non-stop,” she said.

“If this year isn’t going to test your rams, I don’t what will and that’s a testament to what we’re doing.

“They’ve stood up to the weather so what you see is what you get with them.

Several new clients filled out the shed alongside retuning buyers at the Toland sale. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Kerin Poll Merino at Yeoval, NSW also realised a $600 lift in their average from last year.

A huge offering of 519 poll Merino rams sold to full clearance, topping at $18,500 to average $4117 with an impressive gross return of $2,136,723.

“We had a massive amount of new clients out of Tasmania and Victoria as well,” stud principal Nigel Kerin said.

Mr Kerin hypothesised that the bull sale prices from earlier in the season have normalised the elevated stud sale prices and contributed to the success of the subsequent ram sales.

“Everyone read about the results and that set the pace for the ram blokes to pay a fortune as well,” he said.

“It became normalised behaviour to be putting up that kind of money.

A stud focus on data and breeding values was a feature of the offering for Kerin poll.

“We’re very much driven by data – and all the stud that are up $400 to $600 in their averages have data backing them,” Mr Kerin said.

“What we specialise in is the data traits in post-weaning weight, low micron, high fleece weight with fat and muscle.