Buyers chase industry-leading figures in ripper Kiandra Poll Merino sale
Commercial and stud breeders fought it out at Kiandra Poll Merino stud's 30th annual ram sale at Senior, north of Bordertown, to secure some of the highest-ranking 2024 drop rams in the breed in the Sheep Genetics database, especially for growth.
Many had healthy budgets for their pick rams, so by the fall of the final hammer there was a new front runner for the highest averaging SA Merino ram sale for the season.
Stud principals Ryan and Sarah Kluska were thrilled to clear 76 of 80 non-mulesed rams for an outstanding $3019 average - up nearly $1000 on the 2024 sale result when 81 rams sold.
The catalogue had a comprehensive range of Australian Sheep Breeding Values with many of the boxes highlighted to denote that the trait was in the top 10pc or 20pc of the breed, or even the top 1pc in the case of the $7000 sale topper.
Lot 25 had ASBV's in the top percentile of Merino Select for post weaning weight and weaning weight, as well as the Wool Production and Merino Lamb indexes at 206.73 and 156.07.
The July drop ram was knocked down to first-time Kiandra buyers, Greg and Chris Hargreaves, Wooltech, Wedderburn, Vic.
They had followed the success of the sale topper's sire, Kiandra Poll 221648, which led the way in early growth, fleece weight and low micron in the latest Balmoral Sire Evaluation Trial.
"Our stud is in Sheep Genetics and these guys are leaders in Sheep Genetics which drew us here too," Chris said.
"Having the figures, you can buy rams with confidence that the set of parameters is what your progeny are going to be."
The Hargreaves said their two purchases, Lot 25 and Lot 9, which they bought for $2000, would be used in their elite ewe mob to breed rams for their fine wool commercial flock of 2000 ewes.
"We were looking to decrease our breech wrinkle, like most of the rest of Australia, we are trying to make them bigger and plainer," Mr Hargreaves said.
The sale's second highest priced ram at $6600 was Lot 20, which had an even better PWT of 13.98.
It sold to PFR Pastoral, Senior, who bought six rams for a $3433 average.
The most active among the 27 registered bidders was W&P Caldow, Edenhope, Vic, who took home eight rams to $4600 twice for a $2738 average.
It was the first year the sale was conducted by Platinum Livestock with SAL Livestock's Mat MacDonald the auctioneer, having a busy time adding up the bids.
There was still an urgency late in the sale among buyers to fill their orders with the final lot making $5000.
The buyers of lot 80 were Wheare Holdings and Goldmine Hill Farms, Lock, who share their ram purchases.
They have been clients of the Kiandra stud since it was based on Eyre Peninsula and bought six rams for a $4533 average.
Often going head to head on the same rams were Karwin Nominees, Field, who also bought six rams to a $6400 high and averaged $5567.
Those with lesser budgets were still catered for with ten rams making $1000 to $1200.
Mr Kluska said the sale result was "way above expectations", especially considering the widespread drought.
"Coming into the sale I didn't know how it would go, but a couple of days before we had some positive enquiries and we had great support from long-time clients as well as three or four new buyers," he said.
He said they had to work a bit harder to present rams well in the "tricky season" and was also pleased with the progress they were making on profit-driving traits.
The average post weaning weight of the sale rams was 10.7 - in the top 10pc of the breed.
"You have got to try your best to always improve and ASBVs take the guesswork out of one sheep to the next," he said.
"We should be able to drive improvement in any trait - the tools are all there."
Selling agent Nick van den Berg from Platinum Livestock said he was really grateful for the continued support from clients, some more than 30 years, as well as new clients for a healthy sale average.
There were four registered studs, but Mr van den Berg said they were largely eclipsed by strong commercial pressure from those who can see the value of the strong post weaning weight figures, low wrinkle and high fertility.
"Kiandra is focusing on helping people understand data. We have sold some contract-bred rams to repeat clients and are really focusing on supplying data to fit a need," he said.
