A CLOSED border may have prevented repeat interstate buyer representatives attending the annual Te Rakau Texel ram sale in person, as they have in past years, but it did not stop them buying.
Bidding by phone through a local agent at this year's sale, Pattison Livestock, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, was again the main buyer, taking five of the 12 big prime lamb sires on offer at an average of $1300, including the two equal top-priced rams at $1800 each.
Pattison Livestock was also an unsuccessful bidder contesting most other lots.
This year's Te Rakau sale, held as usual in conjunction with the Boorabbin and Colvin Park Merino on-property ram sale at Wannamal, saw excellent results for the New Norcia stud's principals, Maria and Rob Wood.
They cleared all 12 of the rams offered compared to 12 sold out of 16 offered last year and at an average of $1491, well up on last year's average of $1358.
The sale grossed $1600 more than last year at $17,900.
The two July 2019 drop top rams had Genetic Gains statistics of actual November weaning weights (WWT) of 48.4 and 43.2 kilograms and six month live weights (LW6) in February of 61.5 and 59kg.
Their estimated breeding values indices were 2.61 and 2.15 WWT, 2.90 and 4.09 LW6, 0.16 and -0.42 eye muscle area (EMA) and -0.01 and 0.03 fat yield as at August 28.
They had Terminal Sire Growth (TSG) indexes of 377 and 442.
Regular buyers SL & GL Smith, Wannamal, took four rams, three of them at $1400, while Don Nairn, Cubarra Texels, Binnu, claimed the second top-priced ram at $1700 in his two.
That ram had statistics of 52kg actual WWT and 65kg actual LW6, with indices of 2.13 WWT, 3.31 LW6, -0.21 EMA, -0.01 fat and 439 TSG index.
Sonia Tipton drove four hours from Hyden to attend the sale and went home with one ram at $1500 after being outbid on several others.
Maria Wood was very pleased with the results achieved by Nutrien Livestock, Wongan Hills auctioneer Grant Lupton.
"We had a returned buyer from the Eastern States who has been our main buyer, but also very good local support - some of our clients have been with us 12-15 years," Ms Wood said.
"He (main buyer) goes to a lot of trouble to get a selection of rams out of my sale catalogue and he's buying most of my offering on farm as well, so that is quite a commitment sight unseen.
"He's a meat buyer - Midfield Meats - and he's buying on behalf of clients, so our rams will be going to commercial producers over there.
"Some are going to Deniliquin in NSW and around the Warrnambool area in Victoria."
