Fertility, growth and overall doability drive strong demand at Red Hill

Interstate and online competition helped drive a 96 per cent clearance at the Red Hill Australian White autumn sale near Wongarbon on Thursday, February 19.

The stud sold 48 of 50 rams to a top of $4000 twice, averaging $2432 under solid competition.

Repeat buyer Sharyn Bugden, Shazza's Contracting, Bollon, Qld, secured the two equal top-priced rams, Red Hill 250528 and Red Hill 250910, as part of her draft of six averaging $3291.

Red Hill 250528, by Red Hill 230403, was born a single. The 10-month-old weighed 103 kilograms and scanned an eye muscle depth of 45 millimetres and 7.5mm fat.

Red Hill 250910, also by 230403, was born a twin, weighed 99kg, and scanned 45mm EMD and 9mm fat.

Mrs Bugden said she continued to seek Red Hill rams for their consistent type and performance, describing the rams as deeper, longer and wider through the body, the traits she values over her ewe base.

The newly-purchased sires will be joined to her Dorper and Dorper/Australian White maiden ewes.

Volume buyer Patrick Sullivan, Yoe Lake Station, Wilcannia, purchased 14 head to a top of $3250 to average $2232.

A repeat buyer of five years, Mr Sullivan said structural integrity and constitution remained the key drivers behind his continued investment in Red Hill genetics.

"Constitution is our main focus when selecting rams," he said.

"We look for good, free-moving rams with the right structure and temperament.

"The quality is certainly coming through in our progeny, along with strong lambing percentages, which is why we keep coming back to Red Hill."

Mr Sullivan said his aim was to market as many lambs as possible into the organic trade, making consistency across the flock essential.

"Ultimately, we'd like every ram running with our ewes to be Red Hill bloodlines so we can maintain uniformity and predictability right through the flock."

Auctioneer Brad Wilson, Nutrien, said the Red Hill rams continued to improve year on year, consistently displaying plenty of shape and width.

"One of the standout features is their robustness and durability, these rams are exceptionally tough and well-suited to a range of Australian conditions," he said.

Red Hill representative Aimee Toole was absolutely thrilled with the results.

"We'd sincerely like to thank everyone who made the sale a success and for their continued support of our program - both returning and new clients," she said.

"We're delighted to have received such positive feedback on fertility, growth rates, and overall do-ability."

The sale was conducted by Nutrien Dubbo and auctioneer Brad Wilson, Nutrien, with AuctionsPlus providing the online interface.