TOP SALE... Alastair Keller of Elders holds the top-priced ram sold at the North Cowie ram auction with Julian Burke of Burke Livestock, stud co-proprietor Joe Murdoch and son Harry, and Paul Cousins, who purchased the ram on behalf of Rice’s Creek Poll Merinos.
RAM FAN... Three-year-old Harry Murdoch made friends with the stud sires and almost stole the show at the annual ram sale held at his family’s North Cowie Merino and Poll Merino Stud, Warooka last week.
LOYAL BUYER... North Cowie Merino and Poll Merino Stud, Warooka, co-proprietor Joe Murdoch with Tony Hilder of Wirryilka Pastoral Company, who has bought rams from the stud for the past 35 years.
THE top-priced ram at the first sale auction on Yorke Peninsula for 2023 has sold for $7000, more than $2000 higher than the top price at the same stud last year.
North Cowie Merino and Poll Merino Stud, Warooka, sold the April/May 2022 drop Poll Merino ram, sired by Collinsville Masterbuilt 252, at its annual sale, held last Wednesday, July 6.
The top price achieved by the stud at its 2022 ram auction was $4600.
The 2023 top-priced ram was purchased by wool classer Paul Cousins on behalf of the Vandeleur family of Rice’s Creek Poll Merinos, Saddleworth and Tintinara.
Mr Cousins said the family had inspected the ram when it was on display at the South East Stud Merino Field Day at Keith on July 19.
“It has got good genetics, great structure and bone and good correctness,” Mr Cousins said.
At the auction, 49 of the 56 Poll Merino rams offered were sold, at an average of $1690.
All 40 Merino rams sold at an average of $1260.
The overall average was $1496, down on last year’s of $1748.
All 60 rams sold in the 2023 mini auction for an average of $828.
North Cowie co-proprietor Joe Murdoch said he was pleased with the auction results and the fact that most of the rams had sold.
“North Cowie aims to breed large-framed, plain-bodied sheep which still cut plenty of wool,” Mr Murdoch said.
“Because a lot of our Merino rams end up in the pastoral areas, they are bred for 19 to 21 microns, while our Polls are bred for 17.5 to 19.5 microns.”
Among those pastoral clients is Tony Hilder of Wirryilka Pastoral Company, based at Wirryilka Station, between Broken Hill and Menindee.
The company has bought rams from North Cowie for the past 35 years and was the biggest buyer at this year’s auction, buying 82.
“They have got the volume and whatever you need — they are good, hard-doing sheep,” Mr Hilder said.
“We had a 93 per cent lambing rate this year.”
Mr Murdoch thanked Wirryilka Pastoral Company for its loyalty.
“They pick a good team every year and are getting good lambing rates,” he said.
