WA buyers were out in force and bid up strongly at the fourth biennial Bundara Downs White Suffolk and Poll Dorset mated ewe sale held late last month at Western Flat, South Australia.
Overall, the sale recorded an 89 per cent clearance, with 177 ewes from 200 offered selling to a top of $2100 and an average of $854, to buyers from five States.
In the breakdown, 146 PTIL White Suffolk ewes and ewe lambs averaged $900, while 31 Poll Dorset ewes averaged $637 on their debut in the sale.
WA buyers were particularly prominent accounting for 36pc of the ewes sold.
The 155 White Suffolks were offered first, commencing with 20 April-June 2017-drop ewe lambs, all pregnancy tested in lamb to top sires, including the Funke family’s recent share purchase of the exceptional young performance sire, Woolumbool 173980.
With 226 CarcasePlus and 166.7 Lamb Eating Quality indices, when mated over the impressive Bundara Downs ewe lambs, these were enticing genetic packages.
It was one of this draft, BD179891T3w, sired by BD2261 that topped the sale, selling for $2100 to Helen Morgan, Millswyn stud, Katandra, Victoria, who was buying through Elders Shepparton.
The sale topper was particularly impressive on phenotype and was backed up by extreme performance levels including 11.25 wwt, 17.67 pwwt and a 210.65 CarcasePlus index.
PTIL with twins to Woolumbool 173980, the mid-parent predicted EBVs of the progeny topped out at an equal highest CarcasePlus index for the entire catalogue of 219.
Ms Morgan was a particularly strong bidder on top-end ewes, purchasing 16 White Suffolks at a $1119 average.
It was not until lot 70 that the $2100 high was seriously challenged for the top price honours.
A magnificent ewe, BD157682, that headed the 2015-drop offering impressed all and was described by Bundarra Downs pricncipal Steve Funke as “the perfect example of what we are trying to produce here at Bundara Downs”.
It sold to the second top of $2000 to Collyn Garnett, Gnowangerup, who purchased the ewe for Brenton Addis, Yonga Downs stud, Gnowangerup.
This was one of three select ewes going this way at a $1400 average.
As with the previous ewe sale in 2016, WA buying support was exceptionally strong.
Landmark Breeding representative Roy Addis organised most of the WA raid, with both Mr Garnett and Josh Medlen, Williams, travelling with him, plus having buying orders for three other clients.
Collectively they purchased 59 ewes, while another four ewes also went to the west through Elders.
Heading Mr Addis’s stable was Luke Ledwith, Kolindale stud, Dudinin, with 17 White Suffolk ewes from $600 to $900 and at a $712 average.
Mr Addis also purchased 10 ewes for Giovi Cattle Co, from $700 to $1400, right on the White Suffolk average of $900, while Mr Medlen also purchased 10 White Suffolks from $700 to $1200, averaging $960.
Anthony Ferguson assisted the WA buying orders by successfully bidding on four top ewes for Laurie Fairclough, Stockdale stud, York.
He bid to $1450 and averaged $1213.
Bidding via phone through Elders Keith’s Dean Coddington, Harris Thompson, Venturon stud, Boyup Brook rounded out the WA White Suffolk buying, purchasing four ewes to $1200 and a $988 average.
Mr Garnett, after purchasing for Mr Addis, who manages his Curlew Creek Poll Dorset stud, purchased strongly in the first Bundara Downs offering of Poll Dorset ewes.
In a satisfying debut result, 31 of the 45 offered sold to $1050 and averaged a great value $637.
From these Mr Garnett purchased 15 at a $653 average.
