Finer-micron Corriedales drive strong bidding at Blackwood, Tuerong Valley sale
High-performance, finer-micron genetics and proven maternal traits have driven strong competition at the joint Blackwood and Tuerong Valley Corriedale ram sale, where buyers from across Victoria, South Australia and NSW competed for dual-purpose sires.
Blackwood Corriedale stud principals Peter and Claire Blackwood, Evandale, Tas, and Tuerong Valley Corriedale stud principals Kate Methven and Damien Goodman, Branxholme, sold 29 of 44 rams at auction to a top price of $5250 and an average of $2232.
Mr Blackwood said it was the second annual sale for the two Corriedale studs at Branxholme.
"The Corriedales we are breeding are definitely suiting today's prime lamb production systems with wool value and lamb prices," he said.
"We used to find that about 80 per cent of the rams we sold in Tasmania were bought by clients in the western district, and that ultimately led us to join forces with Kate and Damien."
The highest-priced rams comprised good muscle fat, fertility data and were finer in micron.
The top-priced ram, Lot 12, Blackwood 250052, was a September 2025-drop ram sired by a Blackwood ram and out of a stud ewe.
The ram had a micron of 20.3 and was purchased by David Swain and Grace Calder, Kinatura Corriedale stud, Creswick, who purchased the top-priced ram last year.
The ram was in the top 1pc of the maternal wool production index and the top 5pc for yearling fibre diameter, eye muscle depth and post-weaning fat depth.
Mr Swain and Ms Calder run a stud and commercial operation and have purchased Blackwood rams since 2020.
"We've been really pleased with the impact that those rams have had on our sheep and this is really just a continuation of that," Ms Calder said.
"We bought two rams and they will be joined to straight Corriedales which will be used to breed stud sheep and use their offspring in our commercial operation.
"The top ram has a great balance of carcase and reproductive traits, and he also brings the positive fat we look for to build resilience in our sheep."
Ms Methven, who also works as the district wool manager at Elders Hamilton, said most of the rams sold were destined for composite flocks and maternal programs.
"There was a spread of buyers focusing generally on the western district, with a couple a bit further away into South Australia and some into NSW as well," she said.
Among the volume buyers was Patzel Pastoral, Strathdownie, which bought 10 rams to a top price of $2250, while five rams sold at the auction were bought by Corriedale studs in Victoria and NSW.
First-time buyers Cam and Steph Corrigan, Krowera, bought six Corriedale rams to a top price of $5000.
"We are just getting into Corriedales now," Mr Corrigan said.
"We are testing the water with a few sheep at home and our country used to run sheep years ago, so we have toyed with the idea of what breed to get and that led us to Corriedales.
"When we shear them, the wool will be worth a bit of money, their temperament is good, they are easy to handle and they should be relatively easy on fences where we are."
