Koobelup Dohne tops new sale at $2600

Koobelup stud principals Ian and Julie Hanna consolidated their expanded stud and established a new selling regime and Moodi Whites stud principals Stephen Abbott and Ann Wright made their own little bit of history.

The combined gross of the sale reached $93,500 and averaged $1127.

Koobelup's prices topped at $2600, averaged $1082 and the handful of passed-in rams gave a result that exceeded Mr Hanna's pre-sale estimations.

The top price ram sold to repeat buyers Simon Chitty and his father Danny, Goomalling, who have been breeding Dohnes for the past seven years and supported Koobelup's production sale when it was previously held in Beverley.

Danny said after seven years they virtually had a full blood Dohne flock that still retained stylish, bright wool, good fertility and gave them a good all-round wool and meat sheep.

Last week they picked out several rams but for them lot six stood out both on figures and physical appearance to inspire them to pay the most they had ever invested in a sire.

The ram, by IH 131631, had a 173.9 index value and was in the top five percentile band for weaning weight, yearling weight, eye muscle depth and yearling fat and was also in the top 10 percentile band for yearling clean fleece weight.

Danny said they planned to use the ram in the general flock and hoped to gain some good young replacement ewes by him.

After buying the Capercup stud last year, the Hanna family decided to hold just one production sale and the launch of their new selling arrangements attracted many of Capercup's existing clients.

Included was PS & M McKenzie, who bid to the $1900 equal second top price.

RJ & BR Friend, Unicup, also paid $1900, as well as $1400 and $1300 for other rams.

It was prices in this range that gave the sale a good strong atmosphere but with buyers prepared to support several Dohne studs to get their ram needs Mr Hanna said he was pleased that values did not go too high.

After taking on the Capercup sheep in November they had grown out and the 31 included in the line-up matched his own in presentation on sale day.

He said he and classer Nathan King had concentrated on improving wool quality and it was reflected in this year's offering, especially after such a good season. He said clients could look forward to seeing progress in this area in coming years based on several young sires specially selected for their wool quality they would use for the first time this year.

Mr King was on the selling rail as Elders auctioneer and said the sale was a step forward for Koobelup in terms of numbers.

"It means buyers have greater selection and that's what most people in the industry want - choice," he said.

Wagin buyer Clayton South was an example of this.

Mr South bought six Koobelup rams after buying six at Glenlea sale the previous day and planned to buy similar numbers when he attended two more sales in coming days to get his full requirement for the year.

He said the fact Dohnes had comprehensive estimated breeding values meant he was able to base his selection on figures prior to the sale and on sale day he just needed to ensure the rams were visually what he wanted.

For him two key traits were high fat and large eye muscle area which indicated higher reproduction in ewe lambs and greater resilience in hard times.

Coming from a Merino base he was not concerned with wool traits but said as a result of introducing Dohnes and being able to run them harder they were cutting more wool per hectare and had increased lambs per hectare significantly over the past 10 years.

At last week's sale he paid up to $1700 and $1600 for a group of six rams with fat measurements all in the top five percentile band.

One of the day's biggest buyers was AW Kowald & Co, Katanning, who bought 10 rams paying up to $1300.

Others to pay more but buy fewer rams included CR & TC Hitsert, Borden, who paid up to $1800 (twice); RS & M Sprigg, Narembeen, paid up to $1500 and PR & LR Coles, Wagin, paid up to $1500 (twice).

The day also made a little piece of history when the first Australian White rams went under the hammer.

The small 10 ram offering was a tentative step for stud principals Stephen Abbott and Ann Wright, Moodi Whites, Duranillin, who started WA's first stud only two years ago and have been inundated with private demand.

On the day that demand translated into sales with seven rams sold under the hammer for a $2200 top and $1614 average. The only thing that stopped a total clearance was the significant $1000 reserve price on the younger 13-month-old rams that were predominantly from embryo transfer programs.

The top price ram and others sold for $2100 and $1200 went to Lindsay and Margaret Williams, Northampton, who already have a flock of 1100 non-shearing ewes after converting their Merinos into shedding sheep using Wiltshire Horns.

They progressively used White Dorpers and Kojak sires and were keen to get some Australian Whites after following the new breed's progression for several years.

"We have a mix of breeds and we are willing to try anything that is quick growing, big and can put lambs on the ground," Lindsay said.

"The shedding sheep are tough and we have had success joining them as ewe lambs and mating them three times in two years.

"We have even mated one mob four times in two years. I wanted to try these because I think it is important to try different things and see how they perform."

Wagin farmer and businessman Charlie Piesse, who also has been running non-shearing sheep paid $2000, $1400 and $1200 for three rams and said it was a continuation of his program to run easy care stock.

"These will be going to a distant block with no handling facilities so they will have to be self-care," he said.

For Mr Abbott, who previously owned Capercup Dohnes, it was an encouraging start to his new sheep enterprise and he had no hesitation in passing in rams that didn't meet the reserve saying he had orders he needed to fill.

Based on the huge success of the breed in eastern Australia he predicted demand would increase significantly as they proved their carcase qualities and filled the niche for a self-replacing non-shearing breed that was ideally suited to local abattoir specifications.