^ Elders’ Stud Stock Manager Tom Penna with Madeline, Luke and David Andriske, Galga, who bought the lot 2 ram for $9,000, held by David Rowett along with Nutrien’s Josh Nourse.
A COUPLE of first time volume buyers along with many long standing clients ensured Mernowie Poll Merino stud at Marrabel found homes for more rams than ever before.
In the past couple of years Ian, Ros, David and Paige Rowett have lifted their sale numbers significantly on the back of demand for their easy care, low micron sheep which are backed with high ranking Australian Sheep Breeding Values, especially for clean fleece weight.
At their 36th annual sale on Wednesday they sold all 140 rams offered for a very credible $1753 average- back about $300 on 2022’s sale when 131 rams were offered and sold.
For the second time in the past three years Andriske Farms, Galga, bought the sale topper paying $9000 for a 18.4 micron ram reared as a twin at lot 2. It was tag number 633.
David Andriske said the ram’s clean fleece weight ASBV of 38.56, yearling weight of 10.4 and good structure had made it his top pick.
Andriske Farms, which have been Mernowie clients for 40 years, recently won the Wunkar Hogget Competition.
They bought six rams for a $5167 average.
“They do well for us and are putting do ability and fertility in our flock as well as well as giving us good wool cuts,” he said.
DW&FJ Miles, Naracoorte, also helped the sale get off to a strong start buying lot 1 for $6000. The 20.4M ram had plenty of presence and was the heaviest in the sale at 141kg.
It also had very positive eye muscle depth ASBV of 1.05.
The Miles family was back in the action securing lot 3 for $5000- the ram had a remarkable yearling clean fleece weight of 45.81 – among the highest of all 2022 drops in the breed.
The bidding was sometimes hard to follow but the 33 registered bidders from three states had plenty of choice.
Sheep consultant Dale Bruns and his clients the McCann family, Geelong Lime, Vic were the sale’s volume buyer with 20 rams paying up to $4600 but getting others at great value to average $3427.
Another new buyer ME Kitschke & Sons, Jamestown, bought 17 rams for a $971 average, paying to a $1400 high.
Repeat buyers Yednalue Props, Hawker, took home 12 rams at $700 and $800.
David Rowett was pleased with the extra depth in the line-up and “extremely happy” with the result.
“An extra 10 rams was always going to be a challenge to clear in a year like this but we are really happy to clear them,” he said.
He said even though the industry was having a challenging time they were “throwing the kitchen sink” at their breeding program including a strong emphasis on early growth and meat traits.
All of the sires they are using have a post weaning weight of 10 or more.
“Our vision is for our clients to be able to mate their ewe lambs if they desire and turn off their wether lambs two months sooner than what they currently are within two years, ” he said.
“In the current market we have to get better and it is up to us as stud breeders to lift the bar.”
Mr Rowett said they had achieved parentage verification on their ewe flock and will AI all their adult ewes this year, the majority to Mernowie sires.
Sharing the auctioneering duties were Nutrien’s Gordon Wood and Elders’ Tom Penna who both commended the offering for its evenness.
Mr Wood said it was a very good line up of rams which with their white, free growing wools were suited to a range of environments.
“People picked out the rams they wanted,if they were able to buy them cheap they did but if there was competition they were prepared to pay $4000 as a commercial producer,” he said.
“It is a great result in the current environment, people have ewes so they need rams and a lot of people are using this opportunity to step up in the quality they have been buying.”
Mr Penna said bidding was a bit up and down throughout the sale but covered all budgets, including station orders at $700-$800.
“They have lobbed on a good type here at Mernowie, they have kept traditional views in that they have a bit of lock and the right amount of thickness and shape and they have blended that with modern technology and genetics,” he said.