Data drives demand from UNE Smart Farm for Clovernook Poll Merino genetics
Increased frame and weight traits were foremost for UNE (University of New England) Smart Farm manager Raymond Osborne when he bought the equal top-priced ram and seven others at Thursday's Clovernook Poll Merino ram sale near Woolbrook.
Mr Osborne paid $2250 for the late August 2023 drop ram, sired by Toland Poll 211529, for an average of $1531 for the draft of eight sires.
Overall, 25 of the 36 catalogued sold, averaging $1330.
Mr Osborne said the wool traits and bigger frames in the Clovernook rams were great research options.
However, they also allowed the Smart Farm to pivot from a wool-growing enterprise to a prime lamb producer if needed in the future.
"They offer great dual-purpose characteristics," he said.
Mr Osborne was accompanied at the sale by Smart Farm farmhand Leigh Marsden. They said they had extensively reviewed the catalogue and made their selections.
"Those selections still remained viable on sale day, and we bought the rams we needed," he said.
The other equal top-priced ram was bought by James and Richard Hunt, Eulo, Niangala, with only two rams averaging $1750. The Hunts join about 2500 Merino ewes and are repeat buyers of Clovernook sires.
CSIRO Chiswick farm manager Callum Moody, Uralla, was another volume buyer and used the extensive data provided in the catalogue to select six rams averaging $1000.
Mr Moody runs the commercial flock at Chiswick and, this season plans to join 3000 ewes and needs the extra sires.
He said the Merino Lifetime Performance (MLP) project completed its 10-year research period last year, and there is now room for another 1000 ewes on the property.
John and Laurie Chaffey, Weerona, Somerton, bought four rams to a top of $1500, averaging $1125.
Elders Walcha was the selling agent, and Brian Kennedy was the auctioneer. AuctionsPlus provided the online interface, but there were no online sales.
