Good growth traits attract repeat buyers at New Armatree Border Leicester sale
Border Leicester rams with a "modern" commercial and maternal focus sparked spirited bidding competition at the New Armatree on-property sale at Armatree on Thursday, September 11.
All up, 84 of 98 rams sold to $4700 and a $2086 average - up more than $600 on 2024.
Selecting the top price ram was David Greig, Bellevue Rural, Tottenham, a regular bidder at the top-end of the catalogue.
He has been buying from New Armatree for about 12 years and says it is the "well-measured genetics and good structure" that keeps him returning.
He targets the first-cross market and looks for strong maternal traits on a moderate body.
Mr Greig said his top ram, New Armatree 240008, by New Armatree 220016, had good carcase figures, particularly in maternal weaning weight at +1.63, as well as eating quality, with intramuscular fat at +0.35 and shearforce at -0.5, both in the top five per cent, while displaying a moderate adult weight.
"Fast-growing lambs that mature at a lower body weight is what we're chasing," he said.
"We target feedlot buyers with our wether lambs and they're attracted to the good quality eating values that he displays."
The $4700 top price ram also ranked in the top 5pc of maternal breeds for post-weaning fat at +3.01 and eye muscle depth at +2.37, while the post-weaning weight of +12.8 and the Border Leicester Crossing Index of 157.3 were in the top 10pc.
All up, Bellevue Rural picked up eight rams averaging $2925.
The second-highest price of the day was $4500, paid for New Armatree 240261, a twin ram by Inverbrackie 218011, with the successful bidder DE Turnbull, Bourke.
The ram ranked in the top 5pc for birthweight at -0.12, weaning rate at +0.28, fat at +2.87, eye muscle depth at +3.66 and an impressive +175.9 on the Border Leicester Crossing index.
Mr Turnbull bought three rams, averaging $2733.
Laurels Park, Woodstock, which paid the top price the past two years, returned for a third year to become the sale's volume buyer with 13 rams to $3200, averaging $2038.
Also buying in bulk was G and J Barrett, Coonamble, with 11 rams to $3300, averaging $1845.
JS and JL Dowling Brown, Bowra, Carinda, took home nine rams to $2000, averaging $1333, while Hazeldean, Cooma, selected eight rams to $2500, for an average $1825.
This was the first sale New Armatree held under the "Modern Border Leicester" banner.
Stud principal Craig Bradley said they were partnering with South Australian stud Inverbrackie with a focus on traits such as growth and carcase - important to the sale's buyers - while being "hard on conformation".
"We think that's the way the industry needs to go," he said.
He said they were focusing on commercial traits that produced easy-to-finish lambs with higher-yielding carcases and ewes with high weaning rates and good recovery.
He said the sale result was "amazing", although somewhat surprising, given the lower number of Merino ewes in the national flock.
The sale was conducted by AWN and Halcroft & Bennett, Coonamble, with Steve Colwell and John Croake sharing the auctioneering duties.
The online interface was provided by AuctionsPlus with four rams sold online.
