An even line-up of Prime SAMMS sees three rams equal the top price of the day
An even sale team of Prime SAMM rams sold to consistent values at the 16th annual Tiarri/Uralla on-property ram sale east of Lake Grace last week.
The Taylor, Gooch and Carruther families kicked off the 2025 ram selling season by cataloguing 100 quality June 2024-drop, well-grown and presented Prime SAMM rams, demonstrating the dual purpose carcase and wool traits the breed is renowned for.
With a couple of the stud's larger clients unfortunately exiting the sheep industry in recent times, ram numbers offered were adjusted from last year.
Sale summary
- (Under the hammer results)
- Offered: 100
- Sold: 90
- Top: $2500 (3)
- Gross: $101,300
- Average: $1126
But with the season recovering from a dry start in the Lakes region and wider area and mutton and lamb markets reaching record levels, return buyers from local districts and as far away as Walkaway, showed confidence in filling their pre-mating maternal and terminal sire requirements.
The Elders and Nutrien Livestock selling teams sold 90 rams at auction for an average of $1126.
This was back only $115 on last year's sale average where 106 of 140 rams sold under the hammer for an average of $1241.
Elders auctioneer and stud stock manager Nathan King said it was a fantastic line-up of Prime SAMM rams with bidding reflecting the even quality.
"The sale ticked along at solid values all the way through the catalogue with buyers operating on the front and back rows," Mr King said.
"The Tiarri/Uralla rams are a good type and it was pleasing to get a reasonable result for the first ram sale of the season."
While values reached a modest top price of $2500, they did so on three occasions.
Return buyer at the sale for more than 10 years and regular trading name at the top-end of the market, R & R Cobley & Son, Walkaway, made the long trek north home with two of the equal top-priced rams.
Buyer Darren Cobley's first selection was in lot three containing a powerful 112 kilogram ram with wool tests of 22 micron and 98.7 per cent comfort factor (CF), while its scan figures were 45mm eye muscle depth (EMD) and 3.6mm fat.
He followed up two lots later securing a thumping 119kg ram in lot five with wool tests of 22.1 micron and 99.3pc CF and scan data of 45mm EMD and 6.5mm fat.
The Cobleys made the switch to using Prime SAMMs in the early 2000s and now run a pure Prime SAMM ewe flock.
Mr Cobley said their mid-June to July-drop lambs were weaned into their own feedlot at the start of October, with the first drafts of lambs turned off to WAMMCO from mid-December targeting the 24-26kg carcase weight range.
"Prime SAMMs are good fertile Wheatbelt sheep," Mr Cobley said.
"They don't lay down a lot of fat so you can grow them out."
The other $2500 equal top-priced ram was knocked down to long-time buyer of more than 10 years Tom Lynch, Limeric Enterprises, Hyden.
It was one of seven rams Mr Lynch purchased at the sale for an average of $1271 with his top-price paid for the upstanding, well-muscled 107kg ram penned in lot seven with wool tests of 23.2 micron and 98.4pc CF and scans of 49mm EMD and 5.8mm fat.
The Lynchs have been using Prime SAMMs since 2011 and run a maternal replacement Prime SAMM flock, with older ewes or about 25pc joined to Poll Dorset terminal sires.
Ewes lamb in July, which are weaned after harvest onto lupin and barley stubbles and marketed to WAMMCO at about 50kg liveweight from then through until May-June.
Mr Lynch said following the 2010 drought, they wanted to find a sheep with stronger carcase performance and which could handle tougher conditions better.
He said they understood they could make more money from better mothers and prime lambs.
Mr Lynch believed muscling correlated to milk production and led to successful raising of multiples, and remains a focus in their ram selection.
The sale's volume buyer title went to one of Tiarri/Uralla's longest supporting clients Ness Grazing, Newdegate, with a team of 12 rams purchased at the sale at an average of $1092.
Buyer Dwight Ness saved his strongest bid until last when he paid $1600 for the final ram offered where all sale proceeds were donated by the Taylor and Gooch families to the anti-bullying foundation and youth support service, Dolly's Dream.
The charity ram was the heaviest ram in the catalogue, tipping the scales at 125kg and scanning 49mm EMD and 5.9mm fat.
The Ness family runs 4000 Keetlen Valley blood Merino ewes, with about half of them joined to Prime SAMM rams as terminal sires which lamb in April to May.
This year, bigger prime lambs were weaned early in mid-July and will be among the first drafts marketed to V & V Walsh and WAMMCO from the start of spring for six weeks, targeting 22kg dressed weight.
Mr Ness selected for deep-framed rams and praised the quicker weight gain of the Prime SAMM F1 prime lamb.
The next biggest account was 10 rams purchased by consistent buyer of numbers, Craig Jensen, PT & IM Jensen, Pingaring.
He competed on all the top sheep and averaged a healthy $1370 for his selections, paying to a top price of $1900 for the 108kg ram in lot 11 displaying measurements of 48mm EMD and 3.7mm fat.
Other bigger sale teams acquired by return buyers at the sale included FS & KM James, Hyden, with nine rams, RD Walter Pty Ltd, Newdegate, eight rams and Sewell & Co, Pingelly, seven rams.
