Solid support from regular and a few new buyers resulted in a slightly higher average being achieved by Aylesbury Poll Merino at the stud's on-property ram sale last week.
The Last family offered 67 rams, once again under a podium auction system, of which 47 sold under the hammer of Elders auctioneer Graeme Curry at an average of $971, up $15 year-on-year.
Also up on last year's sale was the top price, which peaked at $2750, $250 more than in 2022, after spirited bidding on the ram in lot eight.
The eventual winning bidder was Daniel Giles, Neening Valley, Merredin, who was the designated buyer for himself, father Murray and brother Brandon.
Mr Giles said the Aylesbury syndicate-bred ram had caught their attention with its beautiful big body, weighing in at 108.5 kilograms and bright white staple wool, which had current test results of 20.9 micron, 3.3 SD and 99.7 per cent comfort factor (CF).
He said the big frame was a bonus, as they were currently investing a lot of time and effort into their 2500 head Merino breeding ewe flock and its wool production, and were more focused on the quality of the sire's wool.
"We are classing our maiden ewes, preg-testing and generally putting a lot of time and effort into our sheep production," Mr Giles said.
"We are working at fining our micron down to around 19-20 micron, where it's not as heavily discounted at auction."
The family also continued its tradition as regular volume buyers from the stud, snapping up a total of 10 rams throughout the sale at an average of $1115.
Prior to getting the sale underway, Mr Curry congratulated the Last family on a line-up of fertile, robust rams with good wool.
The volume buyer was PW & JF Craft, Trayning, which this year snapped up 13 rams at an average of $777.
This included Peter Craft paying to a top of $1250 for a 107kg ram AI bred by a Kamballie ram, which had wool figures including 20.7 micron, 4.2 SD and 99.3pc CF.
Mr Craft, who has been buying from the stud for more than 15 years, said he had continued to select his sires based on their size, while also seeking ones with a good medium wool, to be used over his 1900-head Merino breeding ewe flock.
His selection process was made easier by stud co-principal Craig Last, who rather than penning the sale rams individually, decided to use a harness set-up to allow better accessibility for buyers when examining the sires.
And the feedback was nothing but positive.
Last year's top-priced buyer Sam Teasdale, who bought another three rams at an average of $1050 under GR Teasdale for his brother in Badgingarra, was a fan of the new shed layout.
"I am looking to purchase rams that are wide in the behind, and it is so much easier to look at those attributes with the rams harnessed rather than in pens," Mr Teasdale said.
Another regular buyer, EB & EC Auld, Merredin, bought five rams at an average of $960, and included paying to a top of $1400 for a long-bodied 105kg ram with soft handling wool measuring 18.4 micron, 2.7 SD and 99.4pc CF.
SR & N Crees & Co, Merredin, bought three rams at an average of $1350 and to a top of $2000 for the first pen of the day, a big 110kg ram with wool measuring 18 micron, 3.0 SD and 99.8pc CF that the Last family has entered in this year's Perth Royal Show.
Another six buyers snapped up two rams each - Rockdale Farming Co, Muntadgin, at an average of $1700; KA & MA Hooper, Merredin at an average of $700; Edmundsbury, Merredin at an average of $1500; KJ & LM Richards, Nukarni and IG & RM Maddock, Moorine Rock at an average of $550 each respectively and Azalea & Co, North Baandee, at an average of $800.
Bruce Enright, trading as Azalea & Co, attended the sale with son Eric and said he was looking for good quality wool with good bulk on a good-framed sheep to mate with his 500 head Merino ewe flock, which he has reduced in recent years.
He paid $1000 for his first selection, a 106kg ram with 19.3 micron wool, 3.7 SD and 99.8pc CF, while his second ram at $600 weighed in at 98.5kg, and wool measuring 20.2 micron, 3.9 SD and 98.7pc CF.
