The strength of Queensland’s sheep industry was on full display at Inglewood’s Elite Flock Ram Sale on Friday.
The number of buyers almost doubled from last year’s meat sheep ram sale and the overall average price jumped by nearly $150-a-head.
A sale clearance of 96 per cent was achieved and a ram sale average of $888-a-head was recorded. Overall, the sale grossed $40,850 with 48 White Suffolk, Poll Dorset, Texel, Suffolk and Border Leicester rams going number the hammer with 46 sold during the sale.
Top priced ram of the sale was Lot 2, a May drop 141kg Poll Dorset ram, offered by Chris and Meryl Rubie, Sovereign Stud, Warwick. The ram was bought by Tom and Tracie Cooper, Bony Mountian, Hendon. The ram was purchased on behalf of the Cooper family by Ross Ellis, McDougall & Sons, Warwick who said the sire will be used to breed second-cross lambs for the export and domestic meat markets.
“They sell through Warwick’s sheep sale and usual achieve top prices for their good quality lambs,” Mr Ellis said.
The Cooper family run a mixed livestock and cropping operation with a turn-off of 1000 lambs per year. The top priced Poll Dorset ram will be put across the Cooper family’s Border Leicester/Merino-cross ewes as a terminal sire.
Second top priced ram was also offered by Sovereign Poll Dorsets Stud with May drop 134kg ram selling to $1400. The lengthy sheep meat sire was purchased by the Thompson family, Tara.
A third top price of $1200 was reached three times during the sale for Sovereign Poll Dorsets Stud’s May and lambs teeth August drop rams.
Milton Park Suffolk and White Suffolk Stud rams reached $1000 twice during the sale with their Suffolk ram selling to Beenleigh State High School’s new stud sheep breeding program.
The Peitsch family’s Bevandale Border Leicester rams sold to $750 with the top priced Lot 14 selling to Matthew and Carissa Hallinan, Tara.
Andrew Herron’s Pride of the Downs White Suffolk sold to $850 twice during the sale and was bought by Gary O’Rourke, Laurendel, Tara, plus Melinda Shackleton, Stanthorpe.
Peter Hood’s Plainview Texel rams reached $1050 during the sale and the top price sold to I Bishop, Tara.