Leahcim Poll Merino's red-hot sale attracts buyers from across Australia

Buyers from every mainland state in Australia flocked to Snowtown on Tuesday for the Leahcim Poll Merino sale.

Interest from NSW and WA was particularly strong at the auction.

There was full clearance of 279 rams and a top of $15,500 achieved.

The average was well up by more than $500 on last year, at $2870, compared to $2337 in 2024.

Two NSW buyers went head-to-head on the top price ram.

SheepSense owner John Sutherland, Orange, NSW, emerged the victor, bidding on behalf of client Max Edwards, of the GullenGamble Poll Merino stud based at Walmer in NSW.

The GullenGamble stud was a first-time buyer at Leahcim.

"We were competing on the ram because of its overall package - quality, nourished wool, with great carcase traits, coupled with welfare traits like low worm egg count and low dag," Mr Sutherland said.

The ram was in the top five to 10 per cent of the breed for growth, wool quality and welfare traits like breech wrinkle and worm egg count.

While GullenGamble were new buyers, Mr Sutherland has been buying from Leahcim for his clients for many years.

"Leahcim is a very well-run family operation that provides high-quality data and a good balance of wool quality, carcase, growth and welfare traits," he said.

"Their rams also provide good doing-ability.

"Leahcim provides industry-leading genetics backed up by five-star data quality.

"What's really important is the fact that they breed quality sheep using visual skills and data."

Mr Sutherland said he had a motto that profitability breeds loyalty, and that was why he kept returning to Leahcim.

Mr Edwards said when looking at the breeding direction at Leahcim, it complemented the direction he was heading with his stud.

"The focus is on producing a high-quality fleece on a ram with growth and carcase, along with welfare traits - a truly modern sheep," he said.

"It means our clients are able to finish their wether lambs well with a high value carcase, while shearing a high value fleece of their breeders and 1-year-old sheep.

"That's the greatest benefit of the modern Merino - having those different streams of income.

"You've got a strong lamb market, mutton market, restocker market and wool market, all with mules-free production."

Mr Edwards said the top-priced ram's traits were outstanding.

"The all-round package of traits is pretty hard to find," he said.

It was a sentiment shared by the underbidder on the top-priced ram Doug Picker, from Bigga in NSW.

"This ram is really a standout for muscle and fat, along with a really good worm egg count," he said.

Mr Picker has bought semen from Leahcim before and he didn't go home empty-handed this year, paying $6000 for lot 76, which he said had a lot of the traits he admired in the top-priced ram.

Last year's top price buyer Paul Goerling, of the Lukin Springs Poll Merino and White Suffolk stud, at Boyup Brook, in south-west WA, bought this year's second-top priced ram at $13,000, along with a further two rams.

There were some new buyers at the sale including Peter Robertson who travelled over from Kojonup in Western Australia and bought three rams.

"Leahcim is producing quality wool on a good carcase animal," he said.

Return buyers the Martin family, Swan Hill, Victoria, were the volume buyers with 40 rams, averaging $1112.

The Lavender family, Redneval Farming, Williams, WA, took 17 rams averaging $2964.

SA buyers included HT Harslett, Gladstone, buying nine rams averaging $3966, and Black Rock Ag, Orroroo, buying five rams, averaging $2200.

Leahcim's Alistair Michael said his family were very proud of the Poll Merinos they were producing.

"We're very pleased with the sale result, particularly with rams going to every corner of Australia," he said.

"We've got years of accurate data behind our sheep. Buyers know that they will go on and perform."

The sale was conducted by Nutrien with Gordon Wood and Richard Miller auctioneering.

Mr Wood said the Michael family put a mammoth effort into their stud.

"It's a stud that's going to take their clients' profitability from one level to the next," he said.

"They're producing simply amazing Poll Merinos."

Mr Wood said the sale result was fantastic but not unexpected.

"The genomics, the power of performance and the data behind these sheep is first-class," he said.

"The Michaels are doing an incredible job of producing sheep that are industry-relevant."