Buyers, both stud and commercial, continued their unwavering support for the Seymour Park Poll Merino product at the Blight family's on property ram sale at Highbury last week, pushing prices to a top of $10,500 and average of $1640 for 161 rams sold from 181 offered
It was not the tsunami-like performance of last year when 178 rams sold at an average of $2644 and top of $20,000, in one of the sales of the season.
The Blights were under no illusion the market is in a different place this year and still opted to "keep the numbers up to give buyers plenty of choice and opportunity to source everything they required on the day."
To a tee, those buyers talked about the brightness of the wools, the definition of crimp, the softness and the length of staple, the type of wools that are dense enough to be heavy cutting, but open enough to allow for moisture control in higher rainfall zones.
Coupled with carcase oriented bodies, the result is rams that can - and are - performing in a multitude of climatic belts, stamping a genetic mark that keeps regular buyers coming back and new ones emerging every year.
Top price buyers Warwick, Nathan and Callum Teakle, Walkindyer Poll Merino stud, Northampton, were just that - returning after a couple of years break to follow a ram they'd seen on the field days and lot seven didn't disappoint.
Tall, proud, and stretching its pen to the limit with a massive back end and long-stapled, well defined white wool, it had sire power written all over it, setting up a bidding duel for Elders auctioneer Steele Hathway between Elders stud stock specialist Nathan King on the phone to Kamora Park Poll Merino stud in South Australia and the Teakles in the Seymour Park ram shed.
In person prevailed over on the phone, putting the ram on the path to a 7.5 hour journey to Northampton with the Teakles.
The Seymour Park syndicate ram had figures of 18.8 micron, 2.8 standard deviation (SD), 14.8 coefficient of variation of fibre diameter (CV), 99.9 comfort factor (CF) and 110.5kg body weight (BW).
Warwick Teakle said it appealed for its great skin, excellent feet, quality wool and - given the consistency of type of other similarly bred rams in the shed - he expected it to breed consistently well, as had their previous purchases from Seymour Park.
The second top price of $9000 was achieved 14 lots later when Mr King lodged the winning bid for regular buyer the Morrison family, San-Mateo stud, Brookton.
The AI son of Moorundie 102, bought for $22,000 by Kamorah Park stud two years ago and used in AI at Seymour Park as a known producer of big, long stapled sheep , tested 20.1-micron, 3.2 SD, 15.9 CV, 99.9 CF and 127kg BW.
Woolkabin stud, Woodanilling, buying through Kevin Broad, also favoured the Moorundie 102 genetics and went to $7500 to secure Lot 2 with very similar figures of 20.1 micron, 3.1 SD, 15.3 CV, 99.4 CF and 126kg BW.
From Darkan, GW & KA Prowse was looking for a stud sire for its nucleus flock to breed its own rams and found it in Lot eight, a Seymour Park syndicate ram, with figures of 20.2 micron, 3.2 SD, 15.8 CV, 99.7 CF and 111kg BW.
Last year's top price buyer Bill Cowan, Crichton Vale stud, Narembeen, was back "this year on a budget now my son is running the farm" but still finishing with three rams including the breast cancer research charity ram at $2800.
While stud interest in their product is always pleasing for stud breeders as an endorsement of their bloodlines and genetic progress, the importance of volume and commercial buyers cannot be underestimated as an industry marker.
For almost a decade Cadogan Estates has been a major volume supporter of Seymour Park and the entity was out in force again, securing 61 rams to a $2600 top through its classer, Elders stud stock specialist Nathan King.
Cadogan Esates general manager Tim Johnston said given they had not mulesed for the past six years, it was imperative to get the right wools for their high rainfall country.
"The $1-$2/kg premium we get for non-mulesed (wool) adds up over our 120,000kg of wool a year," Mr Johnston said.
"We need free growers with plenty of nourishment on plain bodies and that's exactly what we find here in good numbers."
Mr Johnston said they had planned to steadily increase ewe flock numbers to 20,000 head as some of their country was returned to production from bluegums but would now be turning that land to cropping and maintaining ewe numbers at 15,000 head, all mated to Merinos.
"Wool remains an important part of our business and we have certainly seen the benefit of improved quality since we have been using Elders classers, most recently Nathan King, to class our ewe hoggets," Mr Johnston said.
Other volume buyers included Talbot Pastoral Company, Beverley, 11 rams to $3500 and a $1645 average, SJ & N Thompson, Newdegate, 11 to $4000 and $1809 average, TS & DE Cowcher, Williams, 18 head to $1200, M & C Whittington averaged $3500 for four and Redneval Grazing, Williams and TG & NL Peacock, Badgingarra, each finished with eight.
Speaking after the sale Seymour Park stud co-principal Clinton Blight said he was very happy with the outcome and appreciated the support of clients, many of whom had travelled considerable distance to attend.
"We chose to keep our numbers up for them and they supported that decision," Mr Blight said.
"It was pleasing to see stud interest again and also the equally important commercial buyers.
"It's challenging times, but we are all in this together and we do see a good future for sheep."
