Exclusive Merino genetics generate 'heap of interest' as top ram sales near

Some of the top Merino studs in the state are gearing up for an impressive run of on-property sales this ram selling season.

Terrick West Poll Merino, Prairie, Banavie Merino, Berrimal, and Wallaloo Park, Marnoo, were ranked the top three studs on Stock and Land's list of best performers last year.

This year, they are again all offering some of their best, exclusive, genetics.

Hosting one of Victoria's first Merino ram sales for the season in a week's time, Terrick West is putting its best foot forward with some not-to-be-missed rams.

The stud will be offering 12 sons of the notable ram sire Wiringa Park 450.

The highly sought after sire sold privately to the Lachlan Merino stud, Forbes, NSW, for $70,000 at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show two years ago and has been an influential ram, with many of his progeny on display at Bendigo this year.

Kamora Park Poll Merino stud, Sandalwood, SA, sold two sons of Wiringa Park 450 for $40,000 and $20,000 respectively in private sales at this year's event.

"We also used the Wiringa Park 450 sire and we will be selling a few of his sons in our sale this year," Terrick West Poll Merino stud co-principal Ross McGauchie said.

"We've got a good one that we will keep, and another which is probably the best of his sons we are selling in the Adelaide ram sale in September."

The Wiringa Park sons on offer may surpass the stud on-property top-price record of $17,000 which they achieved some 15 years ago, or break the $36,000 stud record they set at the Adelaide ram sale in 2022.

This year, Terrick West will offer 80 poll Merino rams, similar to last year, when they sold 64 of 84 rams to a top price of $10,000 and average of $3188.

In October, Banavie Merino stud, Berrimal, will offer one of their most exclusive rams to date.

"A new gene pool - the Diamond gene pool - will be on offer for the first time this year," Banavie stud principal Tim Polkinghorne said.

The ram in question drew a lot of interest on display at Bendigo this year.

"The original intention was not sell him at all, mainly because I didn't think the rewards would be high enough compared to the value of keeping him in the stud," Mr Polkinghorne said.

"I told people that if there was enough interest, I would sell him, so he will now be on offer at our sale in September."

The ram, Diamond 240015, has a 19.2-micron fleece with a standard deviation of 3.2, a coefficient of variation of 16.8 and a comfort factor of 99.7 per cent.

Coincidentally, Mr Polkinghorne bought the ram's half-brother for $40,000 in a private sale the same weekend at Bendigo.

"The father of the rams is a very well-bred ram," he said.

The ram Mr Polkinghorne would offer up presented a rare opportunity to access exclusive genetics.

"The father hasn't been used in any other studs," he said.

"We don't sell semen out of the father either, so the only way people can get access to these genetics is to buy this ram.

"He has died now, too, so there's very little genetics available from him."

The ram will not be the only Diamond bloodline available in the sale this year.

Mr Polkinghorne will offer more than 20 Diamond progeny rams.

"I'm hopeful he can make more money than what the ones in Bendigo have made," Mr Polkinghorne said.

"Our job as stud breeders is to release some of our best genetics if we expect the leading end of the industry to support us."

Banavie topped Stock and Land's list of best performing stud sales last year with an impressive sale average of $3426, which set the record for the highest sale average in the last 12 months.

The stud's sale top of $18,000 was also a state record for the season, and marked the second consecutive year Banavie has sold Victoria's dearest Merino ram after selling a future sire for $30,000 in 2023.

Also being generous in its offering this year is Wallaloo Park Merino stud, Marnoo.

The stud was notoriously conservative with its genetic offering in recent years.

"We're pretty stubborn in letting our genetics go," Wallaloo Park co-stud principal Trent Carter said.

"We've retained a hell of a lot of top-end rams ourselves over the last couple of years."

The stud will offer its most extensive selection of top genetics for the first time in many years at its on-property sale in late September.

Mr Carter said this year marks a huge step-up in the top-end of their stud offering this year.

Normally, the stud keeps the best 10 to 12 rams in each year's drop.

"This year, we're only going to keep the top three or four rams and offer the rest," Mr Carter said.

"We like to stay two steps ahead of the game, and we feel like we've been doing that in holding onto our top-end genetics.

"We've held our cards pretty close to our chests for the last four of five years and have gotten the gains we're after.

"So we felt this year we could relax that a little and offer a few more of our top-end genetics.

"Semen sales are back on the cards for any of our leading young sires, which hasn't been the case for quite a few years."

The stud's conservative approach to accessing their genetics has not harmed their bottom line.

The Marnoo stud ranked second in Stock & Land's best performing stud list last year with a sale average of $3236 and an 88 per cent clearance rate after selling 181 of 204 rams to a top price of $9000.