PRICES were high, competition was plentiful and the rams were quality at the 53rd annual Wagin ram sale last week.
The sale achieved new heights with 266 rams offered and 256 sold to outstanding averages.
The White Suffolk breed continued to be in high demand and $3000 was the top price achieved by the Kantara White Suffolk stud, Dumbleyung.
The first ram to be offered by the Kantara stud, the Anden 69-13 sired ram was in the sights of Les Sutherland, Sandown Poll Dorset stud, Perenjori, who will use the sire to breed a composite ram designed for the tougher northern conditions.
Represented at the sale by Landmark stud stock representative Roy Addis, Mr Addis said that Mr Sutherland had come down during the Katanning Sheep Expo in August to inspect the ram and that it was the Kantara sire's overall structure and muscling which made him first choice.
"He is a true White Suffolk type," he said.
"Les wanted something which was true to type, had a bit of scale and was very correct and I believe this ram ticks all those boxes.
"There is solid demand for the Poll Dorset-White Suffolk composite in the Perenjori and surrounding areas due to their additional hardiness and performance.
"He will be ideal for producing these type of sheep."
At 123kg bodyweight, the ram filled the pen and his carcase figures were also reflective of his potential performance with 16.64 for Pwwt, -1 for Pfat, 1.06 for Pemd and a carcase plus index of 200.
Kantara White Suffolk stud principal Keith Ladyman went from offering 63 rams last year (including Poll Dorsets) to 80 rams in total this year and achieved an 100pc clearance with a record $1515 average for his 40 White Suffolks and $1240 for his 40 Dumbledee Poll Dorsets.
Peter Foley, Landmark Wagin, said the presentation of the sheep right across the catalogue was outstanding.
"There was a long list of registered buyers and they all came to buy," he said.
"Values were extremely strong right throughout the sale and the quality of the stock was exceptional."
Elders Wagin branch manager Gordon Smith said the quality of the rams offered by the Sunny View Poll Merino stud and Rockalong Poll Dorset stud were of outstanding quality and were very well appreciated with 100pc clearance achieved by both studs,while Primaries agent Sean Gillespie said that it was a very strong sale with both the Williloo Merino and Poll Merino stud and Yow Yow Poll Dorset stud being very well supported.
Kingussie
The Kingussie Merino and Poll Merino stud had an outstanding result with the largest offering of rams in the sale putting up 92 in total.
59 out of 62 Merino rams sold to a very strong average of $1237 while 29 out of the 30 Kingussie Poll rams on offer sold to average $859.
A top price of $2200 was achieved by one of the Merino rams with long term client and regular Kingussie top price ram buyer RG Strother & Co, Holt Rock, paying the sum.
The Stother's put together a good team of rams as they do annually taking home eight Merino's all up including the $2200 Kingussie top and a total average of $1213.
There was the usual swag of long term clients and volume buyers which ensured they secured their annual consignment of robust Kingussie sires and among them was JD & ME Smith, Dumbleyung, who took home 17 rams paying to a top of $2100 and average of $1200.
Ricky Mott, OL Mott & Co, Dumbleyung, also returned to the sale to secure 13 Merino rams in total and he paid up to $2000 for lot two in the sale and an overall team average of $1554.
The Mott's select the Kingussie rams because of their heavy cutting, bale filling wool type and free growing white wool.
Continuous bidding for the Kingussie sires continued right through their catalogue of rams and in the Merino's HW & HA Bairstow, Dumbleyung, bought five paying a top price of $1900 for lot one and a total average of $1520 for the team.
Woodford Farms, Tincurrin, secured six Merino lots paying an average of $800 while Morrell Hill Farms, Dumbleyung, bought five to a top of $900 and BB & B & MJ Smith, Dumbleyung, also bought five paying up to $1700.
In the Kingussie Poll rams, J & GT Pearce & Son, Dumbleyung, were major volume buyers taking home 12 out of the 30 offered Polls paying to a top of $1200 (paid twice) and average of $833 while MN & AK Ford, Williams, paid the top money for two Poll rams paying $1600 and $1400.
Sunny View Poll Merino
As always, the Sunny View Poll Merino rams of Gavin and Nicole Kirk's were well received and achieved a total clearance of their 24 rams to a strong average of $800.
Paying the top sum of $1700 for the first Sunny View ram to be auctioned was last year's Sunny View top price buyer and regular client TN & DJ Badger, Pingrup.
Regular volume buyers of the Sunny View stud also returned to secure their rams again and PJ & JA Spooner, Wagin, bought eight rams paying to a top of $1000 and average of $644, DJ & D Jasper, Cunderdin, bought six paying up to $1300 and average of $983 for the team.
GM Ward & Sons, Wagin, paid $600 each for four rams while JP Spurr, Wagin, bought three also at $600 each.
Williloo Merino and Poll Merino
The Williloo stud had an outstanding sale and their rams were clearly enjoying the benefits of an excellent season filling out the pens.
The stud achieved a total clearance of both their Merino and the Poll Merino rams with 10 out of 10 Merinos selling to an average of $1475 and 16 out of 16 Poll Merinos selling for an average of $1116.
The stud also achieved the second top price of the sale with the lead Merino ram selling for $2500 to BED Blechynden & Sons, Brookton.
It was the first time Cyril and Vance Blechynden had bought a Williloo ram and Cyril said it was the sire's great conformation and plentiful white wool which made him their pick.
"He's wide in the body and wide in the horns and in general has that real sire appeal," he said.
"Good skin and very heavy cutting, beautiful white wool makes him an ideal ram for what we were after."
The Blechyndens will use the ram over their nucleus flock of ewes to breed their own rams and they try and maintain a flock micron average between 20 and 21 which they believe the Williloo sire will maintain.
The family run a 600 head nucleus ewe flock and 3000 head commercial ewe flock.
In the remainder of the Williloo Merino catalogue, Willingvale P/L, Woodanilling, bought six of the rams paying to a top of $1850 and average of $1317 while Glenlowie Farms, Woodanilling, paid excellent money for two rams at $2000 and $1850.
In the Poll Merino's, Willingvale continued to buy adding another six rams to their team paying to a top of $1300 while long-term Williloo client Peter Battersby, Knowsley Grazing, bought five Poll rams paying to a top of $1650 and average of $1280.
Kantara White Suffolk
On the lows and highs scale, there were only highs for the Kantara White Suffolk stud.
40 White Suffolk rams were offered and 40 were sold for an unheard of $1515 average.
After selling the $3000 top price ram of the sale, the high values continued and other buyers which paid top dollar for their selections included Roztine Enterprises, Gnowangerup, who paid $1900, $1700 and $1500 for three while IC & C Faulkner, Kukerin, also paid $1900 for one ram at $1200 for another.
After filling their Merino requirements earlier in the sale, OL Mott & Co, Dumbleyung, bought six Kantara White Suffolks paying to a top of $1500 (twice) and average of $1350 while Quicksilver Charolais stud, Newdegate, secured three, paying $1700, $1700 and $1400.
PB & J Davidson, Tincurrin, had five rams knocked down to their account and they paid to a top of $1800 and average of $1540 while KR & LA Tooke, Wilga, paid good money for a single purchase at $1700.
M & D Bennier, Wickepin, secured five White Suffolks paying $1500, $1500, $1500, $1400 and $1200 while the last of the White Suffolks were snapped up by Morrell Hill Farms, Dumbleyung, who bought two at $1600 and $1300.
Dumbledee Poll Dorset
It was much of the same story for the Dumbledee Poll Dorset rams but the biding pace was not quite as hot with all 40 rams selling to a still very strong average $1240.
The top price paid for one of these rams was $1500 and this was paid three times by PP & GM Lloyd, Boyup Brook, who put together a team of four PDs, all up which together averaged $1450.
Dunara Farms, Wagin, were volume buyers on the Dumbledee Poll Dorsets and bought nine paying to a top of $1400 (twice) and average of $1278 while RL & JI Gray, Tincurrin, secured 10 paying to a top of $1400 and average of $1160.
Taking home the last of the Poll Dorset rams, M & D Bennier, Wickepin, continued to support the sale after securing their Kantara White Suffolk rams and they successfully bid on the Poll Dorsets, paying $1300, $1200, $1200 and $1200.
Yow Yow Poll Dorset
The Yow Yow Poll Dorset stud was well supported with good values being achieved across the 40 rams offered.
Volume buyers Doug and Dani Giles, Quicksilver Charolais stud, Newdegate, returned to the sale again to fill their order for Yow Yow Poll Dorset rams and they took home 13, paying to a top of $1600 and average of $1150.
Also ensuring they filled a large order, PC Quartermaine, Katanning, put their hand up to take home nine Yow Yows, paying up to $1500 and average of $1128.
Snapping up the last few lots, V & V Giles, Newdegate, had three rams knocked down to their account and they paid $1350, $1200 and $800.
Rockalong Poll Dorset
Four rams were offered at the sale by the Hornsby family, Rockalong Poll Dorset stud and all four rams sold for strong values.
Three of the meaty sires were knocked down to Peter Battersby, Knowsley Grazing, Katanning, who paid $1000 each for the rams while the last rams sold for $700 to Krool Holdings P/L, Kukerin.