With the $10,000 at the Leahcim Poll Merino ram sale are Landmark auctioneers Richard Miller and Gordon Wood, and in thr front, from left, Alistair and Andrew Michael, and purchasers, Ada and Pepe Marin, Punta Arenas, Chile.

EXTRA rams didn’t dull buyer enthusiasm for Poll Merino sires at the 28^th Leachim stud sale at Snowtown, South Australia last week.

The Michael family with selling agents Landmark sold all 228 rams offered for $2733, $18 up on last year. The family added 28 more rams to the original 200 catalogued just before the sale.

Chilean buyer Pepe Marin, Ganadera Marin, Punta Arenas paid the top price of $10,000 top price for lot 2, L152719, a 15 month old youngster with great structure and type, backed up by an outstanding set of performance figures. These were a catalogue leading +28.8 for yearling clean fleece weight, the third best +18.2 for staple length, plus a very high +8.8 for yearling weight.

Mr Marin then backed up the top purchase with two more rams at $5800 and $6000, both with top end for performance figures. The Marin flock has been using Leahcim genetics since 1997 and has an influence on 50pc of Chile’s sheep flock. Including the Chilean purchases, 29 rams sold to 12 stud ram breeding flocks and averaged $4459.

Only nine rams exceeded $5000 in the sale, but demand was consistent throughout the sale and 65 percent of the offering sold for $2000-$4000. The first ram to sell under $2000 was not until lot 139 and 19 sold for $1000 or less. There were 66 registered bidders with 56 successful buyers.

The second top price of $7000 was paid by Paul and Jen Goerling, Lukin Springs stud, Boyup Brook, who paid an average of $6300 for two rams.

Western Australia’s Welke family stud, Westwood from Cascade, bid through Classings Bill Walker to pay $5200 for L152316 and the Pengilly family, Penrose Pastoral, Esperence bought five rams to $3400 and at a $2700 average.

Commercial WA producers, the Foss family from Bruce Rock and represented by Phil Foss paid to $3000 for nine rams, averaging $2256.

Tasmanian breeder Bruce Michael, outlaid $5600 for the first ram offered, L152108, for his Bruny Island ‘Murrayfield’ flock.

The Hooke family, Willera Merino stud, Serpentine was the most prominent top-end Victorian buyer, buying three rams to $5000 for a $4333 average. Swan Hill producers R. and C Martin, paid $800 each for 12 rams. Queensland ‘s Moonjaree Pastoral Co paid $3400 and $3200 for two rams.

New South Wales growers Tony and Joel Smith, ‘Tara’, Walgett , returned to pay to $3800 for nine rams, averaging $3020. A group of 12 Australian Wool Network buying through their AWN agents Mark Hedley, Denis Hewitt and Pat Mc Neill, bought 77 rams. Coolah grower Paspaley Rural paid to $3000 for 18 rams, averaging $1917, and Breadalbane growers RA and SF McLean, paid to $3200 for 14 rams, averaging $2007. Bowning buyer, the FJ Kelly Trust, paid to $4200 for 10 rams, averaging $3140.

Buying through the WISS agency in Melbourne, Ardenside Angus, Tooma, NSW, bought seven rams to $4000 and at a $3371 average, and the Mumblebone Merino stud, Mumblebone, NSW,  paid $4000 for a ram.

South Australian buyers included HT Harslett Rural, Gladstone, with six rams to $4600 and averaging $3560; PJ and KL Ebsary, Barunga Gap, with six rams to $3000 and averaging $2517, and; the Kuerschner family, Black Rock Ag, Orroroo with five rams at a $2360 average.

Gunallo stud principals Ray and Brad Schroeder, Pinnaroo , bought two top rams, including L153052, for the sale’s third top price of $6200.