With Seymour Park’s $25,000 top-priced ram at the 2015 Rabobank WA Sheep Expo stud Merino sale were Russell McKay (left), Elders stud stock, buyer Bill Cowan, Crichton Vale, Narembeen, Seymour Park stud principal Clinton Blight, Highbury and Nathan King, Elders stud stock.
Farm Weekly article by Jodie Rintoul, Kane Chatfield and Caitlyn Burling
Leading the charge in the sale was the Seymour Park stud, which offered and sold four rams for an average of $9375 including the sale topping $25,000 ram that was the stud’s team leader.
Bidding started at $15,000 on the March shorn youngster, which had just cracked its two teeth and quickly rose as bids were thrown in from all directions at Elders auctioneer Don Morgan.
After some spirited bidding from all corners of the lanes the stylish woolled ram was finally knocked down to the Cowan family, Crichton Vale stud, Narembeen, who were supported in their bidding by Elders stud stock representative Nathan King.
Crichton Vale principal Bill Cowan always knew the outstanding Seymour Park sire was going to attract a fairly large price tag and he was prepared to go the extra mile to ensure the ram would end up within the Crichton Vale ranks.
“The outstanding element was his wool, it was exceptional,” Mr Cowan said.
“He had nice, deep, bold crimping medium-type wool that was exactly what we were looking for.
“We are always looking to lift our wool quality within our own stud, and the fact that he’s a poll was also a positive.
“The demand for polls is continuing to grow and that’s why we are willing to put this type of investment into polled genetics.”
The Cowans had previously purchased from the Seymour Park stud for the first time last year.
The ram was from a syndicate mating of Seymour Park show rams and had wool figures of 19.5 micron, 3.1 SD, 15.9 CV and 99.7 pc CF.
The Seymour Park stud retained 50 per cent semen rights in the ram.
Losing bidders on the ram were San-Mateo stud, Brookton and the Warralea stud, Gairdner.
Two rams in the Seymour Park line-up made $4750, the first which measured 17.4 micron, 2.5 SD and 99.8pc CF was purchased by the Jackson family, DJ & ND Jackson & Co, Kojonup.
The second sire to sell at $4750 had wool figures of 20.6 micron, 2.7 SD and 99.8 pc CF and sold to GW & KA Prowse, Darkan.
Rounding out the Seymour Park rams to sell was a long-staped, soft-handled wooled ram measuring 20.8 micron, 3.0 SD, 99.6pc CF, which sold to Damien Morrison, San-Mateo stud, Brookton, who were part of a syndicate that was losing bidders on the top-priced Seymour Park ram.