'Unique' ram leads draft at Meadow View's first on-property sale in 17 years

A ram with a unique combination rose to the top of the Bahr family's first on-property sale after a 17-year hiatus, at Meadow View, near Henty, on Thursday, September 11.

After selling rams in the Eastern Riverina ram sale for the past 15 years, Simon and Amanda Bahr welcomed purchasers back to the family operation.

Overall, 37 of 40 rams sold to a top of $6000 to average $2317, with one ram selling immediately after the sale.

After buying his first ram from the stud last year, Derek Kohlhagen, Wangaburra, Walla Walla, secured the top-priced ram, Meadow View 240249.

Weighing 86 kilograms, the son of the Meadow View group of sons by Wallaloo Park Poll 919, recorded a fibre diameter of 16.7 micron, with a standard deviation of 2.5 micron, coefficient of variation of 14.7 per cent, along with a comfort factor of 99.8pc.

He combined his wool traits with favoured carcase qualities of an eye muscle depth (EMD) of 42 millimetres, an eye muscle width (EMW) of 91mm, and a fat measurement of 6mm.

Purchaser Derek Kohlhagen, Walla Walla said the ram was a standout and an example of the direction he wanted to take his breeding program.

"He ticked a lot of boxes," he said.

"He's a good carcase sheep with nice, sweet wool.

"I'm trying to tick all the boxes as far as the carcase and the wool qualities, given the market these days."

Mr Kohlhagen runs 800 Poll Merino ewes, with the classed-out ewes joined to a Border Leicester for first-cross ewe production, while the wether lambs were sold over the hooks.

Meadow View stud co-principal Simon Bahr said the top-priced ram was everything the family were trying to breed.

"That heavy wool cutter on a good carcase and he's got all that," he said.

"He's a 16.7 micron, which is the finer end of what we're breeding, but he has the fleece weight and the eye muscle with that, which is pretty rare.

"It's a unique combination."

The volume buyer was a long-term purchaser, Richard Carn, Milbrulong, who purchased seven rams for a top of $3250 to average $2000.

Mr Carn said he had been buying rams from the Bahr family for the past 25 years, with two thirds of his 3000 ewe flock joined to terminal sires.

"We look for the heavy-cutting, medium wool sheep, with dual-purpose attributes as we sell Merino wether lambs," he said.

Another volume buyer was DG and LRL Lieschke, Alma Park, who purchased five rams for a top of $2500, for an average of $1600.

Simon Bahr said he was very pleased with the result.

"I'd say 90pc were return buyers today, which was pleasing," he said.

"Coming back on farm, that was my biggest concern, I guess, of people not coming out, but I think all the feedback I had was they were happy to follow us out here.

"To get a similar result with a few more rams than last year, I'm ecstatic with that, given the season."

The sale was conducted by Nutrien Wagga Wagga, with Rick Power as auctioneer.