Late entry hits $7500 high as buyers flock to Coryule Merino stud's 12th sale

A late addition fetched the top price of $7500 at the strong annual sale of Coryule Merino stud.

The Willowvale operation's 12th annual on-farm sale cleared 47 of 51 polled and horned Merino rams on offer with an average price of $2022.

It was a better year in all aspects compared to the 2025 auction where an average of $1630 and a top price of $4000 were recorded across a consignment of 38 rams.

Coryule Merino stud manager Craig Trickey said it was an exceptional sale.

"With a good spirit of bidding among a few new buyers, that's always positive," Mr Trickey said.

"There's always new genetics to add, but we're still trying to breed the type of sheep that we want.

"That suits what we're trying to do, which then suits people who want to buy our type of sheep."

The top-priced ram of the sale, Lot 3a, Coryule 250021, which was going to be a part of the stud's show lineup, was added to the catalogue list a week prior to the sale.

Graziers David and Michelle Elsom, Macarthur, purchased the 109-kilogram ram for $7500 at Tuesday's sale.

Alongside the good structure that the Elsoms have come to Coryule for over the past last decade, Lot 3a had exceptional figures including a 14.9-micron fleece, 2.5 standard deviation, 16.9 coefficient of variation and a 99.7pc comfort factor.

"He is structurally sound ... a lot of wool on him, just a good all-round ram," Mr Elsom said.

"The sheep are doing well, they are very consistent here."

The ram will go to their operation of about 2000 ewes, that are split between Merinos and crossbreds.

Shayne Bedggood, Napoleons, has bought rams at Coryule for close to a decade and this year he took home four rams, one of which was the first polled ram he has ever purchased.

"I needed an extra one or two this year," Mr Bedggood said.

"The rams were working a lot harder this year because of the way the season has been.

"I got one polled ram today just to try it out, see how they go in my country."

Nutrien stud stock manager for south-east region Peter Godbolt said the annual sale improved overall year-on-year.

"A lot of return clients, especially the people who bought the top price, have been buying rams here for years," he said.

"People are very willing to invest in the Merino industry at the moment, especially with where the mutton job is at and the weather, it's all in good spots at the moment."