Falklands : Small but Successful Ram Sale at Saladero
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 19.04.2007 (Article Archived on 03.05.2007)
Sian Ferguson and Lucy Ellis from the Wool Press report on what happened at the Saladero Ram Sale.
SMALL BUT SUCCESSFUL RAM SALE
By Sian Ferguson and Lucy Ellis (Wool Press)
The Department of Agriculture’s Saladero Ram sale was a small but successful affair this year attracting over 70 people from around the Islands and more than 150 sheep.
The day officially started at 8am for viewing of all sale stock. The BBQ was fired up for breakfast and the final preparations taken care of. The last of the exhibition and sale sheep were allocated their pens when farmers from the West arrived after coming across the Sound via the TAMAR on the day. Farmers had plenty of time to inspect the sheep before the auction started.
Following through sheep inspection, the purchase of National Stud Flock Polwarth, Corriedale Shearling Rams and Poll Dorset Shearling Ewes started late morning with Peter Johnson directing the Helmsman auction, ably assisted by Sian and Nyree. Sixteen farms participated in the bidding, which lasted over an hour. The remaining NSF rams were allocated using Pasture Improvement Programme Funds.
Everyone seemed pleased with the overall condition and quality of the animals presented. The top bid on the day was £250 on a Polwarth shearling ram. The number of animals available for sale was lower than last year, however numbers available are considered “normal” considering that last year’s sale included a lot of ET animals of new dual-purpose genetics. 65 Polwarth rams were sold, averaging £70 each and the 13 Corriedales sold brought an average price of £38.
Farmers also had the opportunity throughout the day to sell their own sheep. This opportunity has been taken up by an increasing number of farmers over the last couple of years. Farmers are using the occasion to sell their own high-quality animals to a gathering of keen and motivated buyers. The DOA hopes to develop the occasion as a venue to sell privately owned breeding stock.
A small number of exhibition sheep were also brought along to the Goose Green sale, giving people the chance to view the MPM’s from West Lagoons, the Elite Stud Rams from Saladero, also the stud rams from the National Corriedale Stud Flock and a small number of Poll Dorsets belonging to Neil McKay.
The DOA would like to thank everyone who helped to make the Ram Sale such a success through the display of sheep, attendance to purchase rams or simply to view what has been going on at the stud flocks over the last year. We hope that you agree with our feeling that considerable progress has been made!
Particular thanks are expressed to Brian and his team at Goose Green for their assistance and use of the shearing shed and stock truck, the Tamar crew for ferrying farmers and sheep across the Sound and to Port Howard Farm for making their facilities available for farmers from the West to move their purchases.
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