VICTORIA’S Merino ram sale season has started with a $10,000 top price at Terrick West stud on Friday.
Rob Coutts, of Ioness Stud, Lake Bolac, topped the sale with his bid on the 18.2 micron ram rated with a comfort factor of 99.6
The studmaster said he checked out the ram at last month’s Australian Sheep and Wool Show before making his first purchase from the McGauchie’s Prairie West stud in more than five years.
“He has a tremendous barrel and is beautifully square,” Mr Coutts said.
“I had been chasing a big plain body ram and this one is terrific. I came here with several in mind. While looking at them online, that’s not a definite tool - you need to actually see the sheep to appreciate all its attributes.”
Mr Coutts said the top price ram had good heritage, coming from a Wallaloo Park sire “and he should breed successfully”.
“He will play a massive role at our stud, a small stud of 5000 Merinos.”
Mr Coutts is among a growing number of graziers to have abandoned mulesing.
“Mulesing made no difference to fly strike or dag and I’ve found the wool cut and health of the sheep are better,” he said.
Second highest price was $8500 paid for the first of 84 rams that went under the hammer. The buyer was Wagga Regional Livestock, one of six bought by the Morleys.
Buyers for the Terrick West rams came from New South Wales and Tasmania along with Loddon farmers.
Mysia’s Chris Rothacker was a first-time purchaser picking up two rams while Pompapiel Pastoral again finished as the highest bidder on six rams.
The Carless brothers from Moliagul were top bidders on four rams as were the Langleys of Newbridge.
Terrick West principal Ross McGauchie was pleased with the top price, up $2000 on last year, and the sale average of $3188.46 that came in slightly up on 2023.
Mr McGauchie said the current market conditions had pointed to the possibility of lower averages. 
“But the interest was there to start the sale season and we are happy with the result ... the first 20 rams offered in particular.”
Mr McGauchie said while it was disappointing 20 rams had been passed in at auction, there had been private sales after the hammer dropped on the 84th ram and another off-auction buyer who purchased a ram for $12,000.
He said there had also been a lesser depth of buyers this year following recent retirements of some farmers. “Overall though, it was a great start and compared very well to recent South Australia sales where clearances have been good but average prices down.