PRICES spiked to a $5200 top when two White Suffolk stud breeders set their sights on the same ram at the Kohat on-property sale at Ongerup last week.
Brenton Addis, Yonga Downs stud, Gnowangerup, and Grant Bingham, Iveston stud, Williams, came seeking some of the less-common genetics that featured throughout the offering and both had ticked lot three Kohat 170232.
The buyer was a partnership of Yonga Downs and South Australian stud, Bundara Downs.
The men had had the opportunity to go through Kohat’s potential IGA Perth Royal Show sale team, but the son of Victorian sire Gemini 150393 had one estimated breeding value that Mr Addis was not prepared to lose, an outstanding 19.35 post weaning growth rate.
In addition to growth rate the ram also had 12.46 weaning weight, 1.73 eye muscle depth and -0.57 fat breeding values combining for a 218.76 CarcasePlus index and 115.41 Lamb 2020 index.
“I came to the sale to have a look because I knew Kohat had some bloodlines that are a complete outcross for us and I have been chasing a high growth ram all year,” Mr Addis said.
The figures are all the more significant when it is known the mother was a daughter of an Anden sire sold for $36,000 and K170232 was result of a ewe lamb mating.
The ram was from the first Gemini drop of progeny, a sire that caught studmaster Rivers Hyde’s attention for its exceptionally high lamb eating quality figures.
“I visited the stud for an inspection and left a buying order,” Mr Hyde said.
He said the ram was bought for a special purpose and has bred particularly good ram lambs and this was verified by the number of sons at the top end of the sale team.
The rest of the sale was in the hands of commercial producers and although the final average was down $200 to be $1043, Mr Hyde said it was a good result considering how dry the season had been.
“We have all been nervous and wondered if we should have reduced the numbers knowing there would be a few buyers missing,” he said.
“South coast farmers have had a pretty tough year and to take a couple of buyers out it makes a big difference.”
The sale still attracted a solid core of 18 buyers but it was noticeable that many were seeking fewer rams.
Top commercial prices were $1600 and $1450 both paid by EM Peacock & Co, Gairdner, who bought just two rams after buying eight last year.
Brett Willison, RB & LK Willison, Jerramungup, also bought two rams and paid $1600 and $1200 and said the season had forced him to reduce ewe numbers and with wool prices at such a good level, he had sold off ewes normally joined to terminal sires.
It was a sentiment consistently repeated by the mainly local buying crowd but the one notable exception was furthest travelled Tom Wittwer, Koralla Farm, Cuballing, who more than doubled his acquisition taking home 11 rams at some of the higher prices including two for $1400 and others at $1350 and $1300 after buying just four last year.
By the end of the day 91 of the 99 rams offered were cleared by Landmark auctioneer Mark Warren and another of the highlights was the acceptance of the 12 August-drop rams out of ewe lambs.
They were offered late in the sale but still managed a $900 top and all but two were sold.
Greg Hyde said they had resisted the trend to join ewe lambs but after trying the younger joining they were pleased with the success.
“We’ve taken a really big step in our figures and I believe they work and clients are catching on to that.
“We aim to keep structure correct but spend a lot of time selecting sires based on the figures we want,” Rivers said.
Some of the new and successful sires from studs such as Gemini and Langley Heights will be represented in the IGA Perth Royal Show team.
Other volume buyers out in force were Stuart Hocking, Boxwood Hills, who took home nine for up to $1400; Caralinga Farms, Borden, also bought nine for up to $1350 (2) and GR, JD & CR North, Green Range, bought seven at lesser values.
Other main buyers included Jye Duggan, Needilup, who bought five for up to $1100; Corackerup Farming Co, Needilup, bought seven for up to $1100; and J & N Stone, Borden, bought four for up to $1300.
Another repeat volume buyer was Shane Davy, Blackboy Hill Farms, Wellstead, who bought 14 rams for up to $1300 and said they had been buying Kohat rams in the days when they had private selection only.
Blackboy Hill turns off about 2500 crossbred lambs annually and Mr Davy praised stud connections for their continual effort and success they were achieving.
Regardless of the season there was one enormous positive for the sheep and wool industry that no one failed to notice - the big new five-stand modern shearing and ram selling shed that had been completed only a few weeks prior to the sale.
