Merino stud owner thrilled with sale results as rams go west for first time

A Merino breeder is thrilled with the results of his ram sale.

Curlew stud principal Bernie Kealy, Charam, said he believed the current low production of wool had driven up the price of wool in recent weeks and in turn, the desire for people to want to breed Merinos.

At the stud's ram sale on Monday, 59 out of 64 lots sold at the auction, while the remaining rams were sold afterwards.

"We're stoked with the result and it's great to have a number of new buyers," Mr Kealy said.

Rams were sold to buyers from Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia and for the first time, Western Australia.

"A lot of people in Victoria, SA and WA have reduced numbers of sheep due to drought, and it's left a deficit in Australia's wool production," Mr Kealy said.

"The wool market has been flat, but the last couple of weeks it has taken off, and I think that has helped our sale."

The top ram - Lot 4 - sold for $4750 to return buyer Philip Siems, Euroa.

The ram had Australian Sheep Breeding Values of 19 for yearling clean fleece weight, 1.5 for yearling fibre diameter, 8.8 for post-weaning weight, 2.4 for yearling eye muscle depth, 54 for yearling worm egg count, -0.72 for dag and 0.27 for weaning rate.

Mr Kealy said he was a very balanced animal with no holes in his data.

He said there had been interest in the ram prior to the sale.

"Leading into the sale, there was good interest in him for his great wool type as well as his great set of data," he said.

Mr Kealy said there was a mix of return and new buyers.

"It's really good to see the returning buyers coming back, knowing our rams will deliver results for them," he said.

He said the stud focused on selecting sheep with good carcase and fertility attributes.

"We also have a finer micron - that's our point of difference, compared to other studs who select for fertility and carcase attributes," he said.

"They're also easy-care, as we have been selecting hard for resistance to dag and worms."

The average price for the sale was $2394.

Two rams - Lot 35 and Lot 64 - sold for $4500.

Mr Kealy said he believed there were good times ahead for Merino breeders.

He said there were many ups and downs in the wool industry.

"I feel like the market is always going to ride its highs and lows," he said.

"We're in it for the long game and we try and ride out the lows and capitalise on the highs, and I think there are some highs coming in the next two years."

Mr Kealy thanked his loyal clients for their continued support.

"It's great to see our genetics are delivering results," he said.