Colanya offers hardy, merino sires

Despite not going into the sale with high expectations, thanks to ongoing drought and money squeezes, Pat and Sue Hegarty’s stud 140km north west of Longreach received support from Julia Creek, Winton, Longreach, Ilfracombe, Isisford and Jundah buyers for their brave first venture.

One of Australia’s northernmost wool producers, Ashley Fegan at Kelloshiel, Julia Creek, gave the 14-month-old rams the thumbs up, purchasing lot 22, weighing 53.5kg with a micron of 18.1, for the top price of $1400.

The ram’s yearling fat measurement was 0.7, putting him in the top 30 per cent of all rams tested in Australia since 2006, an attribute Mr Fegan said drew his attention.

A previous purchaser of New South Wales-based rams, Mr Fegan described them as “too soft” and said he’d been happy with the performance of older Colanya rams tried earlier in the year.

He liked their dual purpose offering of frame and wool, and said having eye muscle and fat figures at sale time gave him confidence in picking rams that would pass higher survivability traits on to progeny for the drier years.

Mr Fegan also took home two other rams.

Volume buyers included Tim Brunkhorst from Sunbury, Isisford, who purchased seven young rams, paying $600 for all but one, which went for $800, and a pen of five 2012 drop rams for $450 each.

Mick Rigby, who is managing Gordonvale at Ilfracombe for Alan Forrest, was another strong supporter, paying up to $1100 and an average of $950 for a draft of six rams.

Among them were lot six, a solid 60kg ram with a wool micron of 17.5 and yearling weight, fat and eye muscle figures in the top 30 percentile.

Four pens of two-year-old rams were also offered at the sale, with three lots being snapped up by Peter Batts, Eldwick, Jundah, helping the end of sale clearance rate to 70pc.

Another eight single rams were sold following the sale’s conclusion.