The couple were delighted to top the Gore Ram Fair for the highest priced perendale.
Their two-tooth ram, E73/20, sold for $15,500 to Dannevirke’s John Henricksen at Hautere Perendale Stud.
Another 2020-born ram made $12,500 and went home with Central Otago commercial farmer Hamish Cavanagh.
That was followed by $9000 for a ram bought by the partnership of the Anderson, Gallagher and Elliott families.
"We were absolutely thrilled with the ram sale results, particularly for the perendale breed which is so well supported by both stud and commercial buyers."
She said it was important to reinvest in top genetics.
They missed out after bidding on a few rams themselves, after buying the top suffolk ram — from Hakataramea Valley’s Eric Ross — for $16,500 at the Canterbury A&P Association Elite Ram and Ewe Sale in November.
The couple run perendale and suffolk studs at their station in the Rakaia Gorge area.
The station carries about 800 stud perendale ewes and 5500 commercial perendale ewes, as well as 300 suffolks stud ewes, and 400 Angus cattle.
More lately, they averaged $136 for 7000 suffolk cross and perendale lambs sold at the Rakaia Gorge on-farm lamb sale on January 20.
This topped their previous best result of $125 last year and they were happy with a lambing percentage of 160% from ewes mated to the ram, Ms Tripp said.
"It’s been a difficult year with floods and a major wind storm in September when we lost a lot of trees and then we had a very late cold spring so were really pleased with the way the lambs came through."
Ms Tripp said the higher prices were from good seasonal demand and overall the lambs had a good bodyweight, especially the suffolk-cross lambs.
Their top pen of suffolk-cross lambs made $205 a head with $80 paid for smaller lambs, and many of them going to Southland and Canterbury.
Ms Tripp said many lambs went to the prime market with smaller lambs sold to the store market for finishing around Canterbury.
She said getting them ready for the on-farm sale was a "huge amount" of work, but the payoff was that they were all sold on the same day so it was an efficient way of selling them.
A wet start to the auction day failed to dampen bidding with other lambs also sold from High Peak Station, from Mt Oakden Station and from Peak Hill Station.
TIM.CRONSHAW@alliedpress.co.nz
