Record for Lincoln ram

Press, 13 December 1986, Page 16

Record for Lincoln ram

A record New Zealand price for the breed was paid at auction yesterday in Christchurch for a Lincoln stud ram which sold for $lO,OOO. Three Southland buyers, Messrs R. M. Patterson, Colin Brown and David - Marshall, bought the ram from a long-time Lincoln breeder, Mr Bill Williams, of Blenheim. Mr Wiliams also sold another Lincoln ram for $7lOO, one for $3BOO and a fourth for $2500. He was by far the most successful vendor of the second 1986 Canterbury Stud Ram Fair.

Buoyed by exceptional interest in the longwoolled sheep breeds with lustrous wool production potential, eight of nine Lincoln rams entered in the fair sold at prices from $l2OO to $lO,OOO. Of the other breeds in the auction, Romneys sold very well in a range of $6OO to $2300 and English Leicesters achieved a 50 per cent clearance in a range $6OO to $2400. Other price peaks in the sale were $5OOO paid twice for a Corriedale ram from David Sidey of Hawarden, and for a

soutnaown ram irom David Wyllie, of Ashburton. The Sidey ram went to Tyntesfield Estate, Blenheim, and the Wyllie ram will be exported. In all 41 per cent of rams offered were sold and 59 per cent passed. The auction was of 394 stud rams from 11 breeds and had been brought forward from the traditional selling time of late January. Earlier this year about 450 rams were offered over two days and the clearance was around 45 per cent. Yesterday the breed price averages were (with the January 1986 comparisons in brackets): Suffolk $1305 ($870), South Dorset $lOOO ($1127), Dorset Down $1250 ($1230), South Suffolk $1220 ($1312), Southdown $l4OO (separate sale last year), English Leicester ($llBB ($733), Corriedale $1506 ($1522), Borderdale $l4OO (no comparison); Romney $lO9O $1024), Border Leicester $1293 ($1186) and Lincoln $3518 ($1216). The Lincolns clearly led the way in a resurgence of interest in long-wooled qh ppn Of P ’ the 49 Suffolks

offered 17 were sold and the leading vendors included F. N. and D. R. McKerchar, Winton, one at $3OOO and one at $1300; A. J. and D. A. Brown, Oamaru, one at $2600, one at $l4OO, one at $1200; G. C. G. and D. M. Abbott, Southbrook, $1700; and M. E. Taylor Ward, $lBOO, $l6OO. Of the 15 South Dorsets offered four sold with the leading vendor A.A. and L. W. Ellis, Amberley, $lBOO and $lOOO. Of the 33 Dorset Downs offered, 12 sold and the leading vendors were: A. M. and J. M. Turnbull, Gore, $2300; Mrs J. C. Kingsbury, Ashburton $2000; H. Dalziel, Amberley $3600 and $1000; H. C. and G. C. G. Abbott, Leeston, $l6OO and $l3OO. Ten South Suffolk rams sold from the 41 offered and the leading vendors were: Spring Creek Stud, Oxford, with $4000; S. J. Sinclair, Ashburton, $2000; and Mrs D. R. Ferguson, Invercargill with $l4OO. Nine Southdown rams were sold from the 26 offered and apart from D. A. and S. J. Wyllie, Ashburton $5000; G. L. Robertson, Gore, sold one at $2BOO. The clearance of 17 English Leicester rams, from an offering of 34, was dominated by R. J. and M. A. Burrows, Culverden, with one at $2400, two at $l6OO and several

others; and Ravenswood Stud, Woodend, with one at $2200. Fifteen Corriedales from 43 were sold with the peak at $5OOO for David Sidey, Hawarden; followed by J. R. and T. J. Burrows, Culverden, with $3500 and $1500; and three ‘ vendors who reached $l6OO, W. E. Bain, Millers Flat, M. W. and M. A. Moorhead, Southbridge, and J. D. Sidey, Waikari. The sole Borderdale vendor with $l4OO was I. D. Mangin and Sons, Ashburton. A good clearance of Romneys, 39 out of 54, bought top prices for Kelbrae stud, Gore, $2300, A. N. and E. L. Chamberlain, Ellesmere, $2300; O. J. Adams, Ashburton $2000; V. R. Chamberlain, Ellesmere, $l6OO and D. S. Giddings, Fairlie, $l6OO. The highlights among 32 Border Leicesters sold from 89 were $4BOO and $2400 for the Stevenson Bros, Rangiora; $3OOO and $2600 for W. G. and W. D. Kennedy, Invercargill; $3OOO and $2OOO for N. W. Scott, Ashburton; and $2600 for P. H. Letham, Ashburton. Other Lincoln vendors received $l3OO and $l2OO for Q. and D. G. Mitchell, Fairlie; and $250 and $lOOO for J. T. Miles, Ashburton. The sale grossed about $220,000.