Traditionally held early in January, PGG Wrightson genetics agent Graham Sidey says this year the sale has been brought forward to November 29. This enables stud breeders to market to a wider audience. Many were hanging on to their top-end rams for the January sale, which meant commercial ram buyers, who buy earlier in the season, missed out on the opportunity to compete for these genetics.
Sidey says the auction price has also been structured to make the sale more attractive to commercial buyers.
Rams will be able to be bought for a minimum of $800 for commercial buyers, while rams transferred for stud purposes will have a minimum price tag of $2000.
The catalogue has also changed to incorporate more detailed information (including SIL data) for each animal.
Unlike the previous Canterbury Ram and Ewe Fair, all the breeds will be sold on the one day, with the sale starting at 1pm.
“The new format will make top-end genetics accessible to both stud breeders and commercial buyers alike all under the one roof on the same day.”
