'Pearly white wool' ram from Orrie Cowie show team bound for South America

Over the years, there has been good interest at the Royal Adelaide Show from South American Merino breeders looking for genetics to further their flocks.

This time it was a two-tooth ram from Orrie Cowie stud, Nhill, Vic, which was sold for $12,000 to two Argentine Merino studs - Rio Pico and Cabo Blanco through classer Michael Gough.

Elders stud stock specialist Alistair Keller - who negotiated the deal - said it was good to see international buyers back again and exporting live rams out of SA for the first time in more than five years.

The ram was the champion medium wool March-shorn Merino.

"He had pearly white wool and big and square ram so that is why they were chasing him," he said.

Orrie Cowie stud principal John Dalla said while his family had previously sold semen into South America it would be the first time exporting a live animal.

"Being a new genetic family, I had him as a reserve, but it was a good opportunity to get our genetics out there, I will still collect semen to use (in flock)," he said.

"We have had a fair bit of interest, but nothing has come of it until now but I have been to a couple of the studs in Argentina that have bought him."

Mr Dalla said the ram was among the progeny Orrie Cowie had gained from mating 12 ewes to Angenup100 - a sire which North Cowie at Warooka and Barloo stud, WA, bought in partnership at the Katanning in WA for $35,000 in 2023.

"We had some great results with five sale rams and two show ewes plus this one we were going to keep," he said.

Mr Dalla says it is pleasing that while it had only been 18 months since the move from the Yorke Peninsula to Nhill in western Vic they were enjoying tremendous showing success with the Glendonald stud, where they are now based.

"As a collective at the show we (Orrie Cowie and Glendonald) won 53 ribbons from our 24 sheep, which is the most we have ever done, I think we did 50 ribbons at Bendigo so what we have been able to achieve shows the potential we have going forward," he said.

Glendonald was the winner of the Stock Journal trophy for the most successful exhibitor in the Merino and Poll Merino August-shorn classes.