SALE SUMMARY
2018 2017
Offered 84 67
Sold 75 62
Top $46,000 $52,000
Av $11,533 $12,814
THE Adelaide Stud Merino and Poll Merino Ram Sale was on fire with frenzied bidding, including thirteen rams making $20,000 or more.
But there was also history made with the huge crowd evacuated from the historic shed just minutes before the start of the sale when the fire alarm went off.
When the auctioneers finally took to the catwalk half an hour later after the false alarm the crowd had lost none of its enthusiasm to secure some of the nation’s top Merino and Poll Merino genetics.
The sale average of $11,533 was back $1281 on 2017, but it was still an outstanding result with 13 more rams sold.
In the breakdown, 68 Poll Merinos topped at $46,000 and averaged $11,705, while seven Merinos topped at $17,000 and averaged $9857.
Rams sold to all states of Australia but unlike many years there are none bound for South America.
George and Sophie Millington, Collinsville stud, Hallett, regained top price honours securing $46,000 for Lot 7, Masterbuilt 316.
Their lead ram sold to WA breeder Philip Gooding, East Mundulla, Tarin Rock, who had put in an offer for the 21 micron ram as a ram lamb in March.
“He has a great carcase and staple length and density and structurally he ticks all the boxes. We are very, very happy to have got him,” Mr Gooding said.
It is the second year in a row the Adelaide sale topper has headed to a WA stud.
The May-2017-drop Poll Merino ram,which weighed 125 kilograms, was the Riverina Wool Hogget of the Year earlier in the year at the Hay Sheep Show.
The AI-bred ram was a son of Masterbuilt 316 and out of a Promoter 531 daughter.
Its other wool tests were a 3.0 standard deviation, 14.3 per cent coefficient of variation and 99.3pc comfort factor.
Stud manager Tim Dalla said it was one of the most balanced rams for the year with great structure and “rich wool”.
Elders Burra snapped up both Lot 10 and Lot 11 from the Collinsville team for $26,000 and $31,000.
Collinsville’s five rams topped the stud averages with an impressive $29,600.av.
Geoff and Bernadette Davidson’s Moorundie stud,Keith, received the sale’s second highest price of $32,000 for their reserve grand champion March shorn Poll Merino ram.
The 20.1M ram was knocked down to the Klowss family, Arapiles Plains stud, Natimuk, Vic.
The Sullivan family’s Greenfields stud, Hallett, kicked the sale off strongly with Lot 4 making $28,000 to Russell and Jennifer Jones, Darriwell, Trundle.
‘He has a magnificent sire’s head and possessing really rich, heavy cutting, high sheen wool,” Mr Jones, who was one of the judges, said.
But it was their Lot 1 ram, also from Greenfelds stud, Hallett, which was the highest priced Merino ram at $17,000.
The ram which was by the same sire as Greenfields’ supreme exhibit the previous day sold to The Pines through Elders Albury.
The McGauchie family, Terrick West stud, Prairie, Vic, received their best money ever at the Adelaide sale for their grand champion March shorn Poll Merino ram.
Merryville stud, Boorowa, NSW, and Wurrook, Rokewood, Vic, combined to secure the ram for $27,000.
Elders stud stock manager Tony Wetherall said the result affirmed Adelaide as the “premier sale in Australia”.
“When you have such a wide spread of buyers right throughout Australia come to this sale every year and the quality and standard- they really do perform and breed on,” he said.
Landmark stud stock manager Gordon Wood agreed it was a “tremendous sale.” with particularly strong stud buying from Eyre Peninsula studs, looking to invest after “very solid” on-property sales.