The Lucas family offered 72 rams for the recent on-farm sale and 68 sold for an average price of $2196, up more than $700 on last year's sale.
Two rams sold for $4000, sold to Cecil Peak and Spotts Creek stations respectively. Volume buyers were long-term Nine Mile buyers Gundy and Lisa Anderson, from Bog Roy Station, who bought 15 rams.
Nine Mile owner Gordon Lucas, who described it as a team effort, said they were very happy with the result.
They were also very pleased their sheep were not only performing well at Nine Mile, near Tarras, but were also doing well for their clients.
Nine Mile had ``completely changed'' their merino sheep over the last 20 years to an animal that was much easier to farm, as well as being more productive, he said.
Stud classer Jayne Rive said the sheep they had developed was a dual-purpose animal.
``We strive to strike a perfect balance between wool production and meat production. We are very conscious that we need to breed a sheep that can produce on the hill.
``We've been blown away by the impact that selecting for positive fat and muscle breeding values can have on the condition score of ewes, particularly this year with such a dry summer,'' Ms Rive said.
A yarding of 19,900 lambs at the recent annual fine wool lamb sale at Omarama averaged just under $73 and a strong bench of buyers kept prices firm to up on last year's sale.
The yarding comprised merino, Dohne-cross merino and halfbred and terminal-cross merino lambs. Top prices included terminal-cross mixed-sex lambs sold by Buildmoore Ltd at $124.50, halfbred ewe lambs from The Cairn Station at $113 and Dohne-cross wether lambs from Waitangi Station at $111.
Strong lamb sales have been held and poll Dorset-merino cross lambs sold at Castle Ridge Station in Canterbury earlier this month up to $166.
