Top ram from Bauer and Retallack bound for stud duties
Rams were sold as far south as Tasmania at the Buerckner family's Bauer and Retallack Border Leicester sale held near Ariah Park on Friday, October 10.
The top-priced ram was Bauer 104.24, which sold for $5000 to Glamis Border Leicester stud, Bedgerabong.
The 123-kilogram ram, by Bauer Volcano 2nd, recorded a weaning weight figure of -7.6, +3.5 200-day weight and +9.3 yearling weight.
Buyer Murray Brown, Glamis, said he was an upstanding ram with good carcase attributes.
Mr Brown said the ram would be going into their stud operation where they join about 280 stud ewes a year and sell rams privately throughout the year.
He said they aimed to breed rams that were structurally correct with carcase and even fleece type.
"Sheep that have commercial attributes as well as keeping the type of the Border Leicester breed," he said.
Jamie Buerckner, Bauer and Retallack, said he admired the top-priced ram for his "overall package".
"He ticks every box for me," he said.
"He epitomises what we're trying to breed - his length of body, heavy boned and really well covered."
The second top-priced ram, Bauer 85.24, sold for $3400 to RG Thomas and Sons, Mulwala.
The ram, by Retallack Footman 2nd, recorded a weaning weight figure of -2.1, -0.5 200-day weight and +4.3 yearling weight.
A volume buyer of the sale was Avondowns Pastoral, Barooga, who purchased 12 rams for an average of $1233.
Mr Buerckner said there was a mix of repeat and new clients operating with buyers chasing rams with structure and length of body.
"We had many return buyers and the rams have been doing well for them," he said.
At the fall of the hammer, 9 of 10 specially selected rams offered sold to a top of $5000 and for an average of $2800, while 63 of 83 flock rams averaged $1197.
The sale catalogued 120 rams with the auction concluding at the 93rd lot.
Overall 72 of 93 rams offered averaged $1397. The remaining stud ram sold immediately following.
The sale was conducted by Nutrien Ag Solutions with Tim Woodham and Peter Cabot sharing the rostrum.
