Sandalwood Poll Merinos kicks off SA ram selling season in soggy style

The clearance and average held up well in the first ram sale of the season in SA at Sandalwood Poll Merinos today, giving stud principals and agents some positivity for the rest of what will be an uncertain selling period.

Steady rain from early in the morning in the dry Mallee was a sight for sore eyes and brought many a smile to the buying gallery, who bought 154 of the 175 rams offered to a high of $6000 and healthy average of $1899.

This was very comparable to last year's result of 169 of 200 rams sold, averaging $1900.

The relief was palpable from Sandalwood principal Justin Boughen, who was thankful for the show of support from his client base after what has been a trying 18 months due to drought.

"We've cut back on numbers just purely for feed purposes, they were shorn on the first of March and we've looked after them the best we could to get them up for the sale day and we think they've presented pretty well," he said.

"I was pretty confident that we'd still sell a few - we had good feedback at the field days we went to (Australian Sheep and Wool Show at Bendigo, Vic, and South East Stud Merino Field Day at Keith) and clients have said they were still going to buy, just not as many."

The sale was underpinned by locals, though there was also support from the South East, Kangaroo Island, NSW and the West Wimmera in Vic.

"We've encouraged clients to hang onto young sheep and if they did have to sell any, make it the old ones and dry ones," Mr Boughen said.

"The rain today has been incredible. It started around 6 o'clock this morning and just got heavier. This is really an opening break for this region and it has certainly put a lot of smiles on people's faces."

The sale started strongly along the front row and peaked at $6000 for lot 5 to Kilcoolin Holdings, Riggs Creek, Vic.

The 104 kilogram ram was from a SPM485 x One Oak Poll sire and had a 5 month wool growth (CFLCW) of 5.5, with 20.2 micron, 3.1 standard deviation, 15.6 coefficient of variation, and 99.3 per cent comfort factor, with stock scan figures of 93 on width, 44 on depth, 6.5 on fat 3, and an eye muscle area measurement of 31.51.

Other notable buys included the $5400 paid for lot 23 by regulars CA Hampel & Partners, Loxton, and $4800 for both lots 10 and 19 by Kilcoolin and Hampel & Partners respectively.

Nutrien auctioneer Richard Miller said the result was well above where he expected it to be, saying rams were consistent across the board, with plenty of value for money on offer.

Moving forward, Mr Miller said Merino ram demand could be linked to how the season continues to pan out.

"There's just not as many ewes out there, but having said that if this year shapes up okay those older age group ewes that would normally get a terminal sire, will get a Merino," he said.

"That will be another age group to get numbers up."

As far as volume buyers are concerned, it was a Victorian operator who led the way.

GL&SM Maddern, Kaniva, Vic, were successful on a dozen rams, averaging $1683.

Ramsden Primary, Wangolina, took 11 rams with them back to the Limestone Coast, averaging $1345, while GD&KJ Scott, Balranald, NSW, finished with ten rams, averaging $1080.

Delro Alaman, Woolumbool, bought nine, averaging $2356, and Riverview Pastoral, through PPHS, bought nine, averaging $2378.

Snapping up eight apiece were Webster Ag, Mannum, averaging $1550, and Patterson Farming Co, averaging $1488.

Elders auctioneer Steven Doecke said buyers chasing quality wools would continue to see Sandalwood succeed, even in a season with a lot of uncertainty hanging over it.

"The clients that were have good confidence in the job, which is shown by averaging nearly $2000 in the toughest season we've had in a while," he said.

"Around our area we'd be 20 per cent back (on ewe numbers). We were talking about off shears sales and we could only have a quarter of the sheep we'd usually have.

"There's still a lot of unknown about what the season is going to turn into, but there was a client here who got $330 in Wagga yesterday for old sheep so there's value there."

Over on the west coast, Allala Poll Merinos, Kapinnie, sold 75 of 79 rams to $5400, averaging $1554.