Vic stud Terrick West beats Australia’s best to realise best Bendigo price

Merinos with meat topped the multi-vendor auction at the Australian Sheep and Wool show Merino sale. See which sheep were most popular.

A Poll Merino ram sold for $25,000 at Bendigo’s multi-vendor Merino ram sale. 

The ram was from Victorian stud, Terrick West Poll Merinos, Prairie, and was bought by Overland Merinos, Bogan Gate, NSW.

It was the highest priced ram Terrick West has sold at the Australian Sheep and Wool show fixture.

Across the sale, a total of 81 rams sold from 102 offered, to average $4640. 

The 14-month-old future sire measured a 16.5 micron fleece, with a standard deviation of 2.4 microns, a coefficient of variation figure of 14.3 per cent and comfort factor of 99.8 per cent.

He had also won the March-shorn all purpose Merino class at the show, indicating the ability of his genetics to cater for meat production.

Terrick West principal Ross McGauchie said “we hoped he would sell well but given the low wool prices and poor season we weren’t sure, so we are very happy”.

The ram was good example of how meat focused the modern Merino needed to be.

“Merino wether lambs are becoming more popular with restaurants and butchers so we are concentrating on dual purpose traits – like eye muscle area – to give us an edge on the meat side,” he said.

Victorian stud Glenpaen, from Horsham, sold a poll ram for $14,000 and passed in their second offering, a horned ram, at $11,000.

Principal Rod Miller said the season had been “terrible” but rain last week would help. He said he was prepared, ahead of the sale, to take the horned ram home if it didn’t meet his reserve.

“Wool prices are a bit disheartening but it has been great to see the mutton job start to move,” Mr Miller said.

Western Australian stud Rangeview trucked four rams over, selling to a top of $10,000 and average of $7700, which didn’t match last year’s result when a Rangeview ram topped the sale at $24,000.

Jeremy King, Rangeview.

Principal Jeremy King, Darkan, said his sheep were part of the 42 that had travelled over on the one truck from 10 West Australian studs for the Bendigo event.

“The mood here is much more positive than in WA, where things are very low,” he said.

“The (planned sheep) live export ban is having a dire effect on the industry and community and lamb numbers are expected to be down 30-40 per cent this year,” he said.

Last year, Merino rams at Bendigo averaged a stronger price of $5390 for 77 sold from 93 offered.