Of about 140 rams on offer at the Gore showgrounds last Tuesday, a Texel ram from Blackdale Stud in Riverton fetched the top price of $20,000, A&P association ram fair secretary Joanne Hall said.
It was bought by South Otago farmers Garth and Chris Shaw.
Convener Ross McCall said it was the most spent on a terminal breed in the event’s history and the highest price for any ram at the auction since the 1990s.
"It was an exceptionally good sale this year," he said.
The Perendale Sheep Society started the auction by offering Perendales and Cheviot sheep.
The ram fair committee then organised the auctioning of other breeds.
The event was livestreamed and allowed buyers from around the country to participate online.
This method had gained popularity since the event was first livestreamed last year, Mr McCall said.
"For the commercial rams, I think it’ll be a lot more prevalent as everyone gets more comfortable with the technology and more people get videos up for their rams."
However, there would always be a place for live auctions, he said.
People also just enjoyed being there, he said.
"There’s a real atmosphere when a ram gets sold for that sort of money. Everybody stopped and applauded."
Another high profile sale was that of a Perendale ram which sold for $15,500.
It was bred by Annabel Tripp and her partner Roy Veronese at Snowdon Station in Canterbury.
She said she attended the auction every year.
"We love coming down here. It’s a great place to showcase the Perendale breed and there were some really good sheep here today. It’s a great way to market our sheep and also everyone supports each other at the sale," Mrs Tripp said.
"We put a lot of time and effort into breeding them, so I guess we’re just really happy that people like what we’re breeding."
John Henricksen, of Pongaroa, bought the Perendale ram and said he was pleased with his purchase.
"I had my eye on this one.
"I thought he was the best."
