Sheep Connect ram sale at Hamitlon may go online
A final decision on whether Sheep Connect will go ahead is yet to be made, but here is what’s planned if organisers have to pull the pin.
Another online sale for Sheep Connect, the event replacing Hamilton’s Sheepvention, looms this year following the latest snap Victorian lockdown, which came into effect late last week.
As the Hamilton Sheep Connect conference draws closer — due to run on August 2 and 3 — the Hamilton P&A Society are awaiting further advice from the Department of Health on whether the event can still be held.
A decision is expected to be made tomorrow.
Elders stud stock agent Ross Milne said regardless of the decision the annual ram sale would go ahead but whether it could move to a completely online sale, similar to last year, was still undetermined.
“At the moment we’re just trying to be flexible in these unforeseen circumstances,” Mr Milne said.
An initial draft of 125 mostly Merino rams were catalogued for the Sheep Connect ram sale, including one pen of five Corriedales by Blackwood Corriedales. However, with interstate travel restricted Mr Milne said he expected the number of rams on offer would be more around the 100 mark.
“We’ve already seen a few withdrawn lots from NSW and there is a possibility that a few more interstate lots will be withdrawn as we get closer to the sale.
Despite the change, Mr Milne said he was confident in the online platform and people’s ability to use it following the success of last year’s sale which resulted in 52 of 63 rams sold to a top of $15,500 and average of $3913.
However, the results remain a long way off the last in-person sale held in 2019 which achieved record-breaking prices.
The top-selling Merino ram achieving $35,000 for South Australian stud Moorundie — $4000 above the previously held record of $31,000. Overall, the 2019 sale sold 255 of 310 rams for an average of $3584.
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