Sheepvention Merino ram sale cancelled, low numbers

One of the country’s biggest multi-vendor Merino ram sales has been cancelled due to insufficient numbers.

The Sheepvention ram sale has been cancelled this year, due to insufficient entries, and comes after a gradual decline in numbers since its last big auction in 2019.

The multi-vendor ram sale has been running for 40 years and has previously been a highlight of the event held at Hamilton in the Western District.

The Sheepvention committee said the “proactive move is aimed at re-evaluating and enhancing the event for future success”.

“This year’s entries did not reach anticipated levels. Rather than proceeding with a suboptimal sale the committee has chosen to take this opportunity to regroup and come back stronger,” the statement said.

The sale wasn’t held live during the Covid years of 2020 and 2021, which seemed to affect numbers.

The Sheepvention ram sale in 2023.

The news comes as multi-vendor ram sales, and bull sales too, continue to decline in favour and volume.

Also, as the wool sector battles low prices and many producers struggle with tough seasons and high costs, some stud breeders have been keen to deal more privately with clients to “keep them happy”.

One major ram vendor recently told The Weekly Times he decided to withdraw from selling at the Hamilton multi-vendor auction in order to sell more rams privately and without the prominence of high prices achieved at a high profile fixture.

An analysis by The Weekly Times shows that while the number of Merinos sold in the fixture may have declined rapidly – from 261 in 2018 to just 64 last year – the average price for rams was similar last year as was recorded in 2018.

Last year’s Sheepvention Merino ram sale resulted in just 64 rams sold from 73 offered, to a top of $11,000 and an average of $3516.

In 2022, 72 rams sold from 85 offered, for an average of $4371 and top of $26,000. This was the first year the sale returned to its live format after a hiatus since 2019.

In that year, South Australian stud Moorundie Poll Merinos, Keith, recorded its fourth year in a row topping the Sheepvention auction, and its top sire fetched a record price of $35,000.

In all in 2019, 254 rams sold at Sheepvention for an average of $3959 and in 2018, 261 averaged $3674.

The Sheepvention ram sale used to attract close to 300 entries.

Sheepvention president David Botterill said “we are disappointed that a longstanding aspect of Sheepvention has succumbed to the changing nature of ram sales, with the increase of on-property sales and the post-Covid rise of online platforms”.

Other popular features of Sheepvention have also been mothballed in recent years, including the wool fashion parade and young designer competition, with the committee citing costs.

The event will be held on August 4 and 5 in Hamilton and includes a sheep show and inventors competition, along with many trade exhibitions, Victorian Farm Dog Championships and wool handling competition.