Athlone ram sale achieves near-total clearance in almost 300-head sale

A near-total clearance capped a standout sale for Athlone Poll Dorset & Southdown stud, with buyers taking home 283 of 286 rams offered to post an extraordinary 98 per cent clearance rate.

The Penshurst stud recorded a top price of $2600 on Friday and an overall average of $1520.

The clearance included 175 of 176 Poll Dorset rams to a top price of $2600 and an average of $1582, and 79 of 80 Southdown rams to a top price of $2000 and an average of $1457.

The stud also sold 28 of 29 Southdown/Poll Dorse rams to a top price of $2000 and an average of $1306.

Athlone stud principal Damian Cameron, who runs the stud with his wife Lucy and parents Henry and Karen, said the sale had "plenty of momentum".

"It's fair to say it exceeded our expectations," Mr Cameron said.

"Our average was up about $400 on last year and the clearance was a lot better given we sold close to 50 or 60 more rams than last year."

The top-priced $2600 Poll Dorset ram, Lot 4, 250025, was a June 2025-drop ram purchased by Richard Heazlewood, Heazlewood Farming, Chatsworth.

The ram had a birth weight of 0.25 kilograms, weaning weight of 8.42kg, post-weaning weight of 13.11kg and a terminal carcase production index of 137.32.

Mr Heazlewood said the ram would be joined to Border Leicester/Merino ewes in January.

"We bought lots 4 and 6 and they were some of the best rams at the sale," he said.

"That was based on both figures as well as a visual assessment."

The top-priced $2000 Southdown ram, Lot 216, 250278, was a September 2025-drop ram and was bought by John Toleman, Gringegalgona.

Mr Toleman said the top-priced ram, plus two other Southdowns he bought at the sale, would be joined to a flock of first-cross ewes in January.

The top-priced $2000 Southdown/Poll Dorset ram was Lot 192, 250379, an August 2025-drop ram which was bought by Ian, Lindy and Andrew Robertson, Stoneleigh.

Among the volume buyers was Tom Robertson, Moyne Falls, Hawkesdale, who bought 30 Poll Dorset and Southdown rams to a top price of $1800.

Moyne Falls sheep overseer Clive Howlett said the rams would be joined to composite ewes in December.

"These rams are very good from an ease of lambing point of view," Mr Howlett said.

"We've been buying them from the Camerons for 10 years and they are just really good people.

"The sheep do well and the lambs always perform."

Mr Cameron said the stud was started by his parents in 1990 when he was just eight, and since then the stud had developed a loyal following of buyers.

"We sold 15 rams into South Australia, while a majority of them went within an hour or so of Penshurst," he said.

Another volume buyer was Peter, Cameron and Rebecca Small, Gritjurk, who bought 10 Southdown rams.

"We run pure 18-micron Merino ewes and we buy in all our ewes from Nareen Station and we join Southdown rams to them," Cameron said.

"We are generally targeting the store market - selling predominantly on AuctionsPlus - because we rarely finish our lambs."

LMB Livestock & Land agent Jack Behncke, Hamilton, said the result of the sale was very strong and reflective of the studstock industry this year.

"We saw only three rams passed in and at the end of the day, clearance is a big thing for studs like Athlone," Mr Behncke said.

"We had a few new buyers from south-east South Australia and that was another bonus."