Merino ewes have made a lip-quivering $300 head on two occasions during an on-farm flock dispersal auction near Corowa in the southern Riverina of NSW.
The dispersal, which was conducted for Pat Drum of Balldale by Elders Rural Services, saw two age groups from his highly regarded Eagles Nest Boorambil-blood breeding flock, eclipse the $300 a head barrier while two further age groups claimed prices above $290 a head.
The auction’s most successful bidder was Victorian based Glenloch Holdings, which trucked four of the five age groups offered to its Baddaginnie property, near Benalla.
Acting on the instructions of Glenloch and its manager Les Hall, Elders Yea agent Ryan Sargent bid to $292 a head to secure the 2016-drop maiden ewe line of 411, $301 a head for 323 head of their year-older 15-drop two year-old sisters, followed by $297 a head for 230 of the 13-drop four year olds and then $288 for 235 of the 12-drop five year-old ewes.
Spoiling their clean sweep of the March-shorn Eagles Nest flock, Sam McCulloch from Paull & Scollard Albury paid $300 a head to claim the 2014-drop three year-old ewes.
Elders auctioneer Stephen Grantham praised Mr Drum for 45 years he had spent crafting the Eagles Nest flock.
“He was widely known as a dedicated wool grower and sheep breeder” Mr Grantham said of Mr Drum.
When people rang to enquire about this sale I first told them about Pat’s dedication to his sheep before I told them about his sheep. And on today’s result the sheep has spoken for themselves” he said.