ALLENDALE stud rams are the best kept secret in NSW, according to Girilambone Merino flock breeder, Greg Woodlock, who continues to return to the Inder family's annual Wellington sale, this year buying 10 rams.
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Tony and Penny Inder an family, Allendale stud, Wellington, gained a $1317 average for 45 of 58 rams sold at their annual sale on Saturday with the sale-topper making $3500.
Mr Woodlack has cut back his ewe flock at Kaloola on the Marra Creek, to just 1500 head from 3500 since the drought started and decided this would be the year he revived his sire battery.
Ewes grow 21 micron wool and average six kilogram fleeces. This year he'll join two-thirds of the ewes to Merinos and a third to White Suffolk rams.
"Allendale rams have been very good to me. They're the best kept secret in the state," Mr Woodlock said.
"They breed me ewes with frame, bone and great wool."
He paid $1000 each for his 10 purchases.
Ram buyers since 2003, Mark and Peter Doherty and families returned to again pay the top money among their three purchases.
Based at Roine, Goolma, the brothers paid an average $2583 for their trio with a top at $3500 for a 17.9 micron son of Pooginook Pat, purchased by Tony and Penny Inder and family for Allendale stud in 2016.
Both Mark and Peter said they were most impressed with their top purchase.
They liked the ram's overall size and long wool staple, a feature of Allendale rams, which they said was why they keep returning.
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They plan to join 1600 Merino ewes next February.
Roger and Trecia McInerney, Thule, south of Cobar, also returned and bought eight rams for a $1125 average with two at $1500 each.
They reintroduced Merinos to Thule in 2016 and were introduced to Allendale rams that year by their wool broker, Don Macdonald, Dubbo.
The McInerneys will join 1500 ewes growing 19 micron wool this year. They gained an average of $180 for May shorn wethers at Forbes in recent months.
Anthony and Libby Jones of Springvale Pastoral Company, Springvale, Coolah, returned and bought five rams for a $1700 average with two topping at $2000 each.
They are currently running 2000 Merino ewes, and will join 440 of these to Suffolk rams and another 400 to Border Leicesters. However, Mr Jones said that if the dry continues they will to join another 1000 first-cross ewes to Poll Dorsets and sell these.
Merinos are joined in late February for July lambing and last summer fluked a storm which enabled a sorghum planing to get them through to harvest after some grazing.
Lambings have been good, Mr Jones said, this year averaging 100 per cent.
Commenting after the sale, Tony Inder said he and Penny were delighted with the result.
"We knew clients would require less rams, but they stuck with us and we also welcomed two new buyers," Mr Inder said.
The sale was conducted by Australian Wool Network, Mudgee, and Milling Stuart, Dunedoo, with Angus Stuart the auctioneer.