RETURNING long-term clients were the main support of the annual Hilltop Merino ram sale at Mudgee, last Friday, buying 12 of the 32 rams offered for a $1000 top and $825 average with another three post-auction sales.
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Hilltop was established as a soft rolling skin (SRS) stud by Adam and Annie Mort in 1995 and uses artificial insemination (AI) every second year.
This year seven rams were 16 months of age while five were 14 months including the $1000 sale-topper, one of two rams purchased by Ian and Jodie Clayton, Clayacres, Windeyer, who have supported Hilltop for the past seven years.
The top ram of 17.2 micron was a double-poll twin sired by Coddington Uardry 5034.
The Claytons will join 400 ewes in their Poll Merino flock next year.
Clayacres young sheep fleeces average in the low 15 micron while grown sheep will average 17 to 17.5 micron wool. They cut an average 3.8kg across the flock which Mr Clayton said was very good for this year.
But it was the yield that stood out.
"My sheep grow a very clean fleece yielding in the high 70s to 80 per cent," Mr Clayton said.
"I like the size of the $1000 ram and the quality of his crimp in particular. He is growing very crimpy wool on a dense fleece."
Mr Clayton aims to buy better crimping sheep to keep his wool quality up.
"I like Hilltop rams, they are a good size and the way they are here is the way they will perform when I get them home."
Richard McIntosh and son, Charles, Gundawanna, Molong, returned and bought six rams to $900 averaging $817. They too have been buying since 1997.
Gundawanna runs 2700 Merino ewes and join in March. The flock averages 17.5 micron and cuts four to 4.5 kg of wool this year, although Mr McIntosh said the cut was normally better than this year.
This year through ZQ Merino (The New Zealand Merino Company) the McIntoshs sold 11 bales of 16.8 micron Gundawanna flock wool which returned 1800 cents/kg.
The Helmsman sale was conducted by Brett Cooper for Australian Wool Network, Mudgee.