A larger offering was snapped up quickly and succinctly by buyers who know exactly what Hill Padua Poll Merinos are capable of, making for a buoyant, annual, on-property ram sale in Three Springs on Monday where they achieved their equal top price record of $7400.
A near full clearance, bar one ram, showed the inclusion of an extra 29 rams was an extremely wise move with 152 Hill Padua Multi Purpose Poll Merinos purchased by the 23 registered buyers in attendance.
The AuctionsPlus platform was operated by Elders stud stock representative, Jeff Browne, who said, there were a total of 71 separate online logins.
"Of the 71 there were seven successful online bidders," Mr Browne said.
"The seven bidders secured a total of 52 rams, having bid on 79 lots, with a total of 254 individual bids."
Bucking the trend so far this season, there was a $2400 lift in the top price achieved from the previous sale results, to equal Hill Padua Poll Merino stud's top price achieved at auction in 2021.
This was paired with an almost full clearance and good price consistency throughout the 153 lots achieving a solid sale average of $1450.
The very successful sale was as usual well supported by long-term, repeat and volume clients, providing insight into the quality genetics on offer.
Nutrien Livestock agent Mid West and auctioneer at the sale, Craig Walker, said there was no better way to gauge the performance of Hill Padua genetics than the big numbers across the board at the sale.
"Today was a very successful sale," Mr Walker said.
"The genetics presented by Hill Padua were some of the best they have ever put up and they just keep building on this every year.
"People that come to Hill Padua and buy, look for meat, wool and fertility.
"These clients themselves have strong genetic lines based on these bloodlines and their satisfaction is evident in the large number of repeat and return buyers as well as the overall number of registered buyers in the shed and online on AuctionsPlus."
All the rams in the sale team had their Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) and percentiles recorded and valid as of August 21 and these were listed on their pens and in the sale catalogue in full, giving buyers everything they need to make their choice.
The $7400 sale top price was achieved by lot three, a twin born ram , ranked in the top one per cent of Australia, and sired by Hill Padua 190523.
The top-priced ram weighed 79.5 kilograms at 11 months of age and had figures of 19.1 micron, 20.8 yearling clean fleece weight (Ycfw), 18.9 yearling staple length (Ysl) in the top 10pc, 11 post weaning weight (Pwt) in the top five per cent, 13.7 yearling weight (Ywt) in the top five per cent, 1.03 yearling fat (Yfat), and 2.42 yearling eye muscle depth (Yemd) in the top 10pc.
The ram was purchased by first time buyer and stud breeder, Richie Steele, Outback MPM, Mundadoo, The Marra, New south Wales, via AuctionsPlus.
Mr Richie said he had purchased the ram as an outcross for his stud.
"He is very different to what we have over here," Mr Steele said.
"He was a really well balanced ram.
"He had a very good row of data across the page with no holes, everything was good.
"He also stood well and was just a really good all round ram."
Outback MPM is situated in the low rainfall pastoral zone in New South Wales.
It was regular, return buyers Don and Kim Alexander, Bradscott Pty Ltd, Narrogin, who purchased the second top-priced ram of the sale for $5000, along with two more rams.
The $5000 second top-priced ram was ranked in the top one percent overall and in the top five per cent across Australia for Ycfw and Ysl, while being in the top 10pc for Yemd and the top 20pc for Pwt.
The second top priced sire was penned at lot 4, was a twin sired by Mumblebone 2200904, and the sale ram had measurements of 18.1 micron, 33.1 Ycfw, 21.5 Ysl, 8 Pwt, 9.3 Ywt, 0.85 Yfat and 2.48 Yemd.
Mr Alexander said they only chose the very top rams for their own nucleus flock breeding program and paid an average price of $3933 for his three purchases.
"We have been buying the Hill Padua bloodline for about nine years," Mr Alexander said.
"We purchase three or four each year and utilise them to breed our own rams from a nucleus flock.
"The $5000 ram had good conformation, it was a good all round ram really, with good eye muscle, and fat and wool.
"It is pretty early maturing and that is what we like about the Hill Padua sheep."
The Alexanders mate about 8000 breeding ewes.
Volume buyers are a regular feature at Hill Padua's annual sale and it was no surprise that again the catalogue was dominated by return buyers who have had success with Hill Padua genetics.
Meryl and Joseph Armstrong, JG & MM Armstrong, Narrogin, were first time buyers at Hill Padua in 2022 and secured 20 rams, this year they were once again volume buyers, taking out the top spot with their purchase of 17 rams to a top of $1500 four times, for an average of $1224.
The Armstrongs started rebuilding their flock that had been affected by the devastating fires last year.
The rebuild provided them with the opportunity to change direction with their sheep breeding.
"We wanted plain bodied sheep and want to get into no mulesing," Ms Armstrong said.
"We wanted more robust sheep.
"We put the previous rams we purchased here over our maiden ewes and the lambs from them seem to be growing very well.
"They are very clean and sturdy lambs and they are very even/uniform as a flock."
Hill Padua clients for more than a decade, Anna-Lisa and Craig Newman, Karradale Trading, Varley, this year bought a total of 12 sires, to a top of $2300 and an average of $1267.
The Newmans had moved to twice-yearly shearing and last year was their first year they achieved non-mulesing with part of their flock, this was achieved through the Hill Padua bloodlines.
Loading 12 rams for their trip back to Narrogin was repeat buyer PC & CM Quartermaine, who paid a top price of $1400 and an average of $908.
The Barracks Pastoral Co, Beverley, also ended up with 12 sires at a top price of $3400 and an average of $1683.
This year Hill Padua generously participated in the Shearing for Liz Pink Day campaign, by donating the proceeds of lot 144 to the Breast Cancer Research Centre - WA.
The charity ram was purchased by Dennis Martin, GA & PA Martin & Sons, Warradarge, for $1200 in his total of four sire purchases that averaged $1150.
