Higher prices reign at Corrigin

What a difference a season makes was reflected in Monday's Corrigin ram sale when more rams sold to higher values than last year.

Warren Garlick, of Capolinga Prime Samm stud, Kondinin, said the 18mm of rain that fell in the past week was the real sale topper.

"Values were back to where they were two years ago - finally," Mr Garlick said after selling all of his 45 rams offered.

He was pleased that the $1400 top-priced rams were more than double last year's best and his average price was $364 per head better.

Corrigin commercial producer Alan Abe and his son, Shaun, were also in good rain spirits when they paid the equal top-price of $1400 for a Capolinga Prime Samm.

The 95kg ram had an eye muscle area of 42cm and a fat measurement of six.

"We were looking for good feet, wide bodies with no scurs," Mr Abe said.

Taking home six Capolinga rams in total to work over 800 Gatepines West Merino ewes, the Abes said the cross produced the right type of hybrid vigour in their lambs.

Ray Sedgwick, of Narembeen, and his son-in-law, Robert Bain, bought the other $1400 equal top-price Capolinga ram.

Mr Sedgwick bought a total of eight Prime Samm rams to work in a flock of 1400 Merino ewes.

"We market our lambs around 50kg at between six to 12 months of age," Mr Bain said.

Another tell-tale sign of an improved sheep industry at the sale was when Lewisdale-Corrigin sold 93 rams to an average price of $913, compared to last year when the Lewis family sold 73 rams for an average of $883.

That was about one more ram per mm of rain that the Corrigin area had in the last week to spruce things up.

Corrigin annual pre-mating ram sale * STUD OFFERED SOLD TOP PRICE AVERAGE Capolinga Prime Samms 45 45 $1400(2) $881 Wanjalonar Merinos 25 23 $1300 $939 Cheetham Suffolks 5 5 $750 $670 Cheetham White Suffolks 10 10 $800 $710 Lewisdale-Corrigin Poll Merino 117 93 $3100 $956 TOTAL 202 176 $3100 $913