First time use of New Zealand’s virtual saleyard extends reach for on-farm merino stud sales.

A series of recent sales marks the first time bidr has taken a role in selling merino rams.

Armidale, Gimmerburn, Maniototo is a 2054-hectare multi-generational property that numbers 3500 merino ewes among its stock, including an award-winning merino stud first registered in 1940. Armidale Merino Ram Sale is in its seventh year. Stud principals Allan and Simon Paterson decided to use bidr for the first time at this year’s ram sale, as Simon explains.

“We saw bidr as an opportunity to open the sale to a wider audience. We knew a couple of people weren’t going to make it this year, so we wanted to give them the opportunity to buy. We didn’t set specific expectations around bidr, and didn’t expect to sell any rams online this year. We just wanted to test it and see if it would help raise our profile, maybe serving as a first introduction to a few new clients,” he says.

In the event, over 250 bidr users visited the Armidale auction page pre-sale, including visits from Australia, Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the United States. Online registrations came from Marlborough, the Mackenzie District, and Central Otago, while connected attendees on the day spanned from Northland to Southland. Online bids were placed on 30 per cent of the rams sold, resulting in 20 per cent of the tallies selling to buyers online, which accounted for more than 25 per cent of the sale’s total value. Simon rates this year’s sale as a good one. Offering identical numbers to last year, this year’s Armidale merino rams averaged $400 above last year’s.

PGG Wrightson Wool’s Central Otago representative Graeme Bell works closely with Armidale, and also brought several other clients to the sale.

“Allan and Simon Paterson are committed to producing some of the most profitable fine wool sheep in the industry. Their bloodlines are fast growing and structurally sound, with high maternal performance, and most of all grow plenty of wool.

“While I was sitting beside clients at the sale who were bidding and buying, I also had another client active on bidr who bought five rams. This sale clearly demonstrated the value of bidr for fine wool genetics,” he said. 

Aside from Armidale, annual on-farm events Gums Fine Wool Ram Sale in Cheviot and The Glenallen Merino Ram Sale, Waikari also each recently incorporated bidr for the first time. Both had over 100 bidr users view the bidr auction page pre-sale, both sales took online bids, and like Armidale, each sold rams online.

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