Find out why 164 well-grown Poll Merino rams were in demand this this sale

Return buying support helped the Blight family chalk up a solid result at its annual Seymour Park Poll Merino ram sale on-property at Highbury.

In the stud's sixth annual sale since moving its ram sale onfarm in 2020, the Seymour Park team presented a high quality catalogue of 164 well-grown and measured, productive white woolled Poll Merino rams.

Driven by favourable seasonal conditions, buoyant sheep and lamb markets and a fast-improving wool market, return commercial clients joined WA and interstate stud and nucleus interest to bid competitively on selected lots through to the final run of rams, resulting in improved values from last year.

Unfortunately the absence of a couple of regular volume accounts due to unforeseen circumstances, impacted the sale clearance and opened the door for some selective buying.

Sale summary

• (Under the hammer results)
• Offered: 164
• Sold: 131
• Top: $8500
• Gross: $260,900
• Average: $1992

While the Blights anticipated this, they still maintained a strong line-up of rams to give their clients a greater selection to select from.

This also allowed buyers of all budgets to fill their pre-mating sire requirements, but a number of rams were overlooked.

The Elders selling team, steered by auctioneer and Elders stud stock manager, Nathan King, sold 131 rams at auction (80 per cent) for an average of $1992.

This marked a $170 jump in average and 4pc improvement in clearance rate compared to last year's sale where the stud sold 140 of 184 rams (76pc) for an average of $1822.

Mr King said the Seymour Park sheep were well-suited to today's Merino industry.

"Seymour Park hits the target with the current climate of the sheep and wool markets," Mr King said.

"There are a lot of very good testing wools, they are generally a plainer body type but the wool cut is holding up.

"There were a lot of positive comments on the catalogue with more depth through to the back row.

"I class a couple of Seymour Park's client flocks, they are good commercial rams and people that use them, love them.

"I think they are a little underrated in the industry at the moment and I encourage anyone to come have a look."

The sale opened with a run of 34 regulation March shorn rams, but it was the earlier catalogued rams in the April shorn line-up that took the top price honours.

Elders stud stock sales specialist, Jeff Brown, bidding on behalf of previous interstate stud buyers, the Davidson family's Moorundie Park stud, Gulnare, South Australia, via phone, placed the $8500 top price bid for lot 37.

The 104.5kg syndicate bred ram displayed wool tests of 18.1 micron, 3.3 SD, 18.1 CV and 99.8 per cent comfort factor (CF), 5kg greasy fleece weight (GFW) with scan results of 3.8mm fat and 38mm eye muscle depth (EMD).

Two lots later and the sale's $7000 second top price was entered into the clerking sheets with Elders Narrogin agent, Paul Keppel, bidding via phone for the Wise family's Wililoo stud, Woodanilling, successfully purchasing the ram.

The 106.5kg AI-bred ram by Ridgeway Advance 1497 tested 19.6 micron, 3.1 SD, 15.7 CV and 99.7pc CF, 4.6kg GFW and scans of 3.4mm fat and 35mm EMD.

Buyer Rick Wise said he was looking for a Ridgeway Advance son which is a fresh bloodline for the Wililoo stud.

He was unable to attend on the day and was sent videos upon recommendation from Mr King and Clinton Blight.

"The ram caught my attention from the videos I was sent and I trust their opinion," Mr Wise said.

"We had a strategy in what we were looking for in a purpose ram.

"He is a typical Ridgeway Advance type ram and modern type Merino, outstanding wool quality, quite free growing and a good, plain carcase body."

Graeme Prowse and his sons Adam and Kade, GW & KA Prowse, Darkan, included the sale's $6800 third top price in their three rams purchased at the sale.

The 102.5kg Seymour Park syndicate bred ram out of a maiden ewe led the April shorn team and tested 18.4 micron, 2.8 SD, 15.2 CV and 100pc CF, 5.4kg GFW and scanned 2.7mm fat and 37mm EMD.

Mr Brown also secured two new sires for return buyers Lasogowrie, Cranbrook, paying to the next highest price of $5600 for a 109kg AI-bred March shorn ram testing 17.3 micron, 2.8 SD, 16.4 CV and 99.7pc CF and scanning 3.7mm fat and 37.5mm EMD.

The Beech family, Rothbury stud, Tenterden, returned to purchase a new Seymour Park sire for $5400.

The 101.5kg March shorn AI-bred ram tested 18.9 micron, 2.8 SD, 14.6 CV and 99.7pc CF and scanned 2.9mm fat and 34.5mm EMD.

The purchase consolidates the Seymour Park bloodline in a multiple sire syndicate joining in the Rothbury breeding program following their first two Seymour Park sires purchased last year.

Norm and Jarrad Beech said the nourished wools and sizeable square bodies of the Seymour Park sheep initially appealed.

They said their latest Seymour Park addition was a good all round sheep for structure, wool and skin.

The sale's most influential buyer by a fair stretch was annual buyer of substantial numbers, Cadogan Estates Pty Ltd (Australia), Williams, farm manager Hamish Cook and general manager Tim Johnston.

They finished with a team of 65 rams largely paying from $1200 to a top price of $2800 for an average price of $1529.

The next largest account totalling 18 rams was filled by Mr Keppel paying an average of $2383 and to a $3600 top price for lot 38 containing a 93kg AI-bred ram testing 19.2 micron, 3.3 SD, 17 CV and 99.4pc CF, 5.2kg GFW and scans of 3.1mm fat and 36.5mm EMD.

Return volume buyer Steve Thompson, SJ & N Thompson, Newdegate, with Andrew Kitto, Dyson Jones, Wickepin/Newdegate, collected a team of 14 rams and wasn't afraid to raise his sights on selections, leading to healthy average of $2764 and paying to a $4100 top price on two occasions.

Both top rams were AI-bred from the March shorn line-up displaying respective measurements of 17.7 micron, 2.7 SD, 15.1 CV and 99.8pc CF, 3.2mm fat and 38mm EMD and 16.3 micron, 2.4 SD, 14.6 CV and 99.7pc CF, 3.4mm fat and 37mm EMD.

Another return buyer of solid numbers, Talbot Pastoral Company, Beverley, sourced nine rams for decent value, averaging $1400 and costing to a $2700 top price.