Top-end Merino rams make good money as clearance suffers at Oakbank

Oakbank Merino stud saw big bids on its top-end sheep, with three rams at its on-property sale making $5000 or more and 10 reaching $4000.

The Gre Gre North stud sold 52 of the 72 rams offered, recording an average price of $2552.

Lot 15, sired by Oakbank R-336, sold for $5750 to top the annual sale.

The polled ram's wool measured 19.8 micron, with a standard deviation of 3.0, a coefficient of variation of 14.9 and a 99.7 per cent comfort factor.

The ram weighed 108 kilograms, with a 37-millimetre eye muscle depth and 7.5 mm fat depth.

Buyer Scott Barr, Barr Agriculture, Skipton, who also bought the 105kg Lot 16 for $5000, said both were good rams he was determined to secure.

"They were big rams, with good comfort factor, good body weight and thick, well-nourished wool," Mr Barr said.

He said he had been coming to Oakbank's sale for many years to replace rams at his mixed cropping and grazing property.

With a good season so far, he said he would be joining both rams to about 1000 ewes.

"[Oakbank] has improved our sheep a fair bit," he said.

[The rams have] put a lot of wool on them while keeping the micron down."

Oakbank stud co-principal Jack McRae was pleased with the result and said the rams presented well.

"The rams here have done well," Mr McRae said.

"We've had good rainfall and a good season and they've come out pretty well."

Jeremy Young, Garolgi Farming, Goolgowi, NSW, bought eight rams for an average of $1750.

Mr Young runs a mixed farming operation with about 1800 self-replacing ewes and has purchased rams from Oakbank for the last eight years.

Typically buying in volume, he said he was drawn to the rams for their "quality wool and meat".

"They're big, heavy wool-cutting sheep - that's why we keep coming back," he said.

"We try for 18.5-20 micron, high comfort factor, good feet and high body size."

Elders stud stock manager for Victoria and the Riverina Ross Milne said bidding was selective but the sale was supported by strong demand at the top.

"The rams that fit the buyers' criteria sold well," Mr Milne said.

Nutrien studstock specialist for the Riverina and Victoria Nick Farley said Oakbank presented a high-standard offering.

"The rams were presented really well this year following a good start to autumn," Mr Farley said.

"They are a fair bit younger than most of the rams we sell.

"The sale rams were presented well, weighing up to 120kg with big, heavy cuts."