It offered 100 composite prime lamb sires, aged between 10 and 12 months.

Of the 100 rams, 60 sold at auction for an average of $800 but principals Brian and Donna Craig said they expected clients would return to buy rams later in the season.

“It seems to be a trend now,” Mr Craig said.

“Producers tend to be buying according to their immediate need.”

Mr Craig said he was satisfied with the auction.

“It was a good average in a cautious market,” he said.

“We’ve had six years of turbulence and have been waiting for some stability.

“The banks and such are starting to buy properties and they usually only do that when they expect a good return on their investment.

“It will be fantastic if the Australian dollar stays around 90 to 94 US cents.”

Established clients Mark and Sheena Schmidt, from Bulart in Victoria, have been buying Kismet West rams for seven years and this year bought the top-priced animal, paying $1600 for a maternal-influence composite ram.

The sale attracted clients from as far as Queensland and Hamilton.

Those attending the sale also received some tasty “teasers” — the popular and home-grown Kismet cutlets and West burgers.

THE annual Kurralea Poll Dorset and White Suffolk ram sale last week at Ariah Park had a 100 per cent clearance rate.

Overall, 309 stud and flock rams sold to $8500 and averaged $1301, with 60 buyers from four states.

A total of 129 poll Dorset flock rams sold in two drafts to a top of $1600 and averaged $1174, while 135 white Suffolk flock rams sold to a top of $1400, and averaged $1125.

Most rams sold between $900 and $1200 in both drafts.

The strength of the commercial competition and the evenness of quality was best summarised by the bidding strength in these flock ram drafts.

Offered in pairs, or pens of three or four rams, 62 per cent of these lots went in one hammer, where the successful bidder took the entire pen.

Only five pens of three rams required three hammers.

Greg Moncrieff, of Moncrieff Livestock, Condobolin, who is a regular supporter of Kurralea sales, summed up the quality.

“We buy at Kurralea simply because they have the biggest, productive and most mobile rams, with muscling that suit our purpose in our environment; their progeny really pack on the weight,” he said.

Long-time Kurralea supporters FS Falkiner & Co were the biggest volume purchasers, picking up 34 poll Dorset flock rams and 79 of the white Suffolk draft.

Their purchases ranged from $900 to $1400 and averaged $1149.

Mark and Peter Yates, of Barwon Poll Dorset stud at Yerong Creek, paid $8500 to secure the top ram K120028Tw, an April drop and son of UP 080185 and a prize winner at both Adelaide and Bendigo this year. Mark described the ram as “beautifully balanced and structurally correct, with length and muscling”.

“He has thickness, a great loin and hindquarter and stands and walks well,” he said.

Purchasers in last year’s record-priced ram, Grant and Bryce Hausler, of Janmac stud, Goroke, Victoria linked into the sale via phone this year and were successful in picking up K120293Tw, a first prize winner at Adelaide for $6000.

This ram was another son of UP 080185.

In the white Suffolk stud ram offering, the buyers of last year’s $7000 top-priced ram, Chatsworth House, Chatsworth, Victoria also paid the equal top this year, paying $5000 for K120036Tw, an impressive and high performing son of K100223.

Also paying $5000 for a white Suffolk stud ram was Douglas Comb, of Manfred stud, Hay, who picked up K120043, a 140 kilograms son of K100341.