THE rich, red soil at Mukinbudin is renowned for turning off large-framed sheep, but when combined with a wonderful season, they are record breakers, well illustrated by the offering at the annual Calcaling Poll Merino sale.
This year, the top ram made an impressive $3500, as Landmark auctioneer Terry Norrish knocked it down to Mark Wilson, GJ & WJ Wilson & Sons, Narembeen, while the Elders' half of the selling team called the bids and recorded the results.
The heaviest ram offered weighed in at 126kg and the top-priced animal couldn't have been many grams less, coupled with a 20.9 micron fleece and a comfort factor of 99.7 per cent, this plain bodied sire was a worthy prize winner.
Mark Wilson was loud in his praise of the Calcaling offering, which he and his father before him have been buying for years and "we keep coming back".
"We don't buy these with the proceeds of our wheat crop, they pay their own way with a good wool cut and high lambing percentages, well and truly earning their place in our farming mix," he said.
The Wilsons weren't the only ones who were keen on the Calcaling offering, with 29 buyers registering before the sale and 24 of them buying, and although two of the 100 rams offered were passed in, they both sold within minutes of the sale finishing.
The average price received was up $600 on the year before, with Ernie Ventris, previous stud principal, assuring me that this was "the best result we have ever achieved", although in the past they sold a lot more rams each year.
VA & CF Lee, East Pingelly were the quantity buyers, probably needing a truck, not a ute, to take their 10 large Calcaling sires home, paying $2900 for their top-priced selection and $2500 for the second, averaging an impressive $2160 for their team.
Three other buyers paid $3000 or more for their top picks, including RF Huckstep & Co, Beacon, who paid $3100 for their top, taking another two for $2000 and $1500.
AG & NL Woodfield, Kununoppin, paid $3000 for their top, adding another three at $2300 (twice) and $2000 for an average of $2400, while Outback Farms, Mukinbudin, also paid $3000 for its top, averaging $1950 for a team of four.
W & I Williamson, Bibra Lake, averaged $2040 for their five sires, paying $2600 for their top and $2300 for the top weight ram on offer, which had its 126kg frame covered with 19.4 micron wool.
Two buyers each took eight Calcaling rams, with LE & M Farina, Mukinbudin, paying $2300, $2200 and $2000 for their top three, averaging $1650 for their team.
P Sprigg & Co, Mukinbudin, also bought eight sires with a top price of $2200 for their first pick, averaging $1325 for their eight.
Harold J Shadbolt & Sons, Mukinbudin, was the only other buyer to average more than $2000, with their average of $2280 including $2900, $2600 and $2500 in their team of five.
MJS Farming Group, Merredin, bought six at an average of $1833 with a top of $2500, SR & KD Palm, Mukinbudin, averaged $1250 with a top of $1500 and K & J Jones. Mukinbudin, averaged $1740 with a top of $2000.
Those who travelled long distances included BD & AV Aylmore, Tambellup, who averaged $1329 for five with a top of $1700, while GR & W Driscoll, Dongara, bought two for $1800 and $1400.
Other travellers included SM Turton & Estate George Turton, Popanyinning, who bought two for $1000 and $800, while SA Brain & Co, Pingelly, paid $800 and $600.
Although big bodied animals with good wool covering, the 100 tested rams had an average micron measurement of 19.4 and a comfort factor of 99.8pc.
Calcaling stud principal Athol Ventris was delighted with the sale.
"It was way above our expectations and well above last year's average of around $1000, but the rams sold on the results achieved by our clients," he said.