Fantastic ram clearance a fine result for Fingerpost White Suffolks
It was a case of one major volume buyer out, one major volume buyer in for the Fingerpost White Suffolk stud at Monarto South, who enjoyed a tremendous clearance at their on-property ram sale on Tuesday.
A long-time volume supporter at Fingerpost, Kurra-Wirra Pastoral Co, Harrow, Vic, has started its own stud and will be hosting its first sale this year. They bought 29 rams at last year's sale and while their absence was felt on Tuesday, a new buyer in Mallee View, Galga, filled the void nicely by buying 26 rams during the main auction and picking up several more post-sale.
It was a very consistent sale throughout this year, with 107 of 112 rams sold to a top of $2400 twice and an average of $1210.
There were 16 more rams sold than in 2025, though a $15,500 stud syndicate purchase helped swell last year's average to $1384.
Fingerpost principal Barrie Gale said the final result was pleasing, particularly clearance-wise, after some pre-sale week consternation about whether clients would mate more Merino ewes to Merino rams in an effort to build flock numbers back up after a couple of dry seasons.
"Obviously there's some people still holding ewes for crossy rams so we're very happy," he said.
The stud continues to have a major focus on lamb eating quality traits like shearforce, lean meat yield and intramuscular fat, in preparation for processors one day paying a premium on eating quality when the measurement technology becomes commonplace.
"In saying that, we're still focusing on a high post weaning weight, and around that 0.3-0.4 birthweight which is what we consider low maintenance for a Merino ewe," Mr Gale said.
"We do focus on that lambing ease direct figure when buying in sires ourselves because we want to breed a low maintenance, fast growing, beautiful meat animal."
Departing the Fingerpost sale with 30 rams, averaging $867, Mallee View's Peter McConnell and Kevin Heidrich said the rams would soon be joined with 2000 Merino ewes, 2.5 to 4.5-year-old, they recently purchased from over near Ceduna.
Mallee View run their own self-replacing Merino ewe flock with the 5.5-year-olds joined to White Suffolk rams. Those will be joined in January.
Both their Merino and crossbred lambs are finished in an on-farm feedlot and generally sold on-hooks to several buyers including Woolworths.
The first ten rams of the Fingerpost catalogue were offered individually, with Lots 3 and 6 reaching the day's highest price of $2400, to Inglebrae Holdings, Callington, and AA&JG Florance, Kingscote, respectively.
Both twin-born rams, May and April 2025-drop, were from the Woolumbool 208208 sire, which ranks in the top 5 per cent on eye muscle depth, lean meat yield and lamb eating quality, as well as top 10pc on shear force and dressing traits.
Inglebrae's purchased had the highest LMY figure in the catalogue at 6.18, while the Florance ram had the desired combination of low birthweight to decent post weaning weight.
JA&SK Smith were strong on the specially selected ten rams, buying four of those and five in total, averaging $1880.
Other strong volume buyers throughout the catalogue included CA Paech & K Molnar, Tepko, buying 11 rams, averaging $1072, as well as Kevradale, Tailem Bend, with ten rams, averaging $1420.
Buying eight rams, averaging $1250, was BL&CL Burbidge, Ettrick, while Saramon Family Trust, Strathalbyn and Ashville, finished with seven rams, averaging $1428.
The sale was conducted by Elders and Nutrien, with Elders' Steven Doecke the auctioneer.
