A southdown ram selling for $16,000 to an Oxford farmer topped the catalogue at Canterbury’s major ram and ewe sale.
The southdown ram presented by Blenheim father and daughter, Ian and Christina Jordan from Willowhaugh Enterprises, was sold to A D Gillespie of Oxford.
The Jordans offered a selection of southdowns which were prizewinners at last month’s Canterbury A&P Show. A southdown trio won the all breeds food and fibre trifecta including the ram winning the best carcass sheep class.
Total sales for the lineup of 263 rams and 10 ewes clipped $306,000 at the Canterbury A&P Association Ram and Ewe Sale last Friday.
This was up on last year’s result, however, sale averages were down at $1867 for rams and $287 for ewes.
Last year’s drought in the North Island and a large ewe kill were contributing factors to lower individual prices, said PGG Wrightson NZ Livestock genetics manager Bruce Orr.
“The biggest driver is the continuing depreciation of commercial ewes in all provinces of New Zealand, the follow-on is that stud breeders are selling less commercial rams.”
The total of 163 rams sold was the best clearance in the last four events.
Ram prices averaged $2422 in the last event held this year in January, $2172 last year and $1781 in 2011.
The ram and ewe sale was traditionally held over two days in January, but the event was brought forward to a single day sale in November to bring it into line with the ram-selling season.