THE Jones family’s Ejanding on-property ram sale at Dowerin last week followed the buoyant trends of this year’s ram selling season, recording a massive sale result.
The stud’s regular clientele, along with some new faces, warmed to the top line-up of well-grown and measured white woolled rams and bid extremely strongly through to the 180th and final lot, driving sale averages northward.
Spurred along with favourable seasonal conditions and sheep commodity prices, buyers cleared 171 rams (95 per cent) at auction to average an impressive $1971 under the control of the Elders and Landmark selling teams.
This represented a significant $662 rise in average and saw the sale earnings gross $100,000 more than last year’s sale where 176 of 180 rams (98pc) sold under the hammer to average $1309.
Broken down, 122 of 125 (98pc) Poll Merino rams sold at auction to average $1922, up by $594 on last year’s sale average of $1328 from 123 of 125 rams cleared.
The team of 55 Merino rams claimed the sale’s average stakes with 49 (89pc) selling at auction to average $2092, up by $828 on last year where 53 of 55 rams sold to average $1264.
With values reaching a modest top price of $4000 and a large percentage of the catalogue selling from $2000 to $3000, the sale averages accurately reflected the strength and eveness of the sale.
The sale kicked off with the first run of 60 Poll rams with the regulation shorn team leader in lot one topping the sale with a $4000 equal top price bid from repeat stud buyer the Millstead family, Mocardy stud, Wongan Hills.
The 114.5 kilogram ET-bred ram by Glenlea Park Poll 011739 displayed August wool tests of 18.9 micron, 2.7 SD, 14.3 CV and 100 per cent comfort factor (CF) and scanned 4.2mm fat and 38mm eye muscle depth (EMD) while ranking in the top 10pc of Australia for its MP and DP ASBV indexes at 152.9 and 150.2 respectively.
Buyers David and Mason Millstead said they first saw the ram at this year’s Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days and had kept an eye on it since then.
“It’s a good all-rounder, dual purpose type that’s hard to fault and is still growing,” they said.
“We thought it had the best wool in the shed.
“Its bold crimping wool is a focus of ours and it will go over a selection of our heavy cutting ewes.
“It’s new genetics for us which the Jones also rate, having kept of couple of its ET brothers.”
The sale’s $4000 top-priced Merino ram didn’t arise until later in the sale with the 103.5 kilogram Ejanding 15-0576 son in lot 94 attracting plenty of interest before being knocked down to P Chick & Co.
The ram displayed August wool tests of 18.9 micron, 3.1 SD, 16.4 CV and 99.9pc CF and scanned 2.6mm fat and 31.5mm eye muscle depth (EMD).
It also recorded strong ASBVs including ranking in the top 10pc of Australia for YCFW 25.5, YWT 9.5 and DP 156.5.
The Chicks collected a further two Merino rams at $1700 and $3700 and a Poll ram for $1800.
Buyer Gilbert Chick, whose family is celebrating the 90th anniversary year of farming at their south Mt Walker property, is a first-time buyer at Ejanding.
The family runs 1250 mated Merino ewes and 1000 dry sheep and Mr Chick said they sourced rams from the Cringleber stud at Tammin for 49 years before it dispersed in 2004.
“The Jones family purchased some of the Cringleber ewes from its dispersal,” Mr Chick said.
“And we liked the look of the Ejanding sheep so we decided to come to the sale.”
Mr Chick said they selected their rams on width and height of body, with good neck folds and fine to medium wool quality.
Kevin Broad, Elders stud stock, was a bid shy of top price with his $3900 purchase of the regulation shorn Merino sale team leader on behalf of the Wilkins family’s Narbethong stud, Kondinin.
The 102.5kg ram by Ejanding 120105 tested 18.4 micron, 2.6 SD, 14.1 CV and 100pc CF while scanning 4.7mm fat and 37mm EMD and ranking in the top 10pc for DP index at 150.3.
Also paying $3900 for a single ram purchase was CM Bryant, Latham.
Penned in lot four, the twin 95kg poll ram was by Ejanding Poll 146210 and tested 20.3 micron, 3.2 SD, 15.8 CV, 99.8pc CF, scanned 2.3mm fat and 34mm EMD with a top 10pc ranking for DP index 140.1.
The most dominant buyer of the day was consistent volume buyers at the sale the Sparkman family, Shanandale Pty Ltd, Perenjori.
The Sparkmans collected a larger team of 19 rams at strong values including eight Poll Merino rams from $1800 to $3200 and 11 Merino rams from $1400 to $3100 on the back of increasing their forthcoming Merino ewe mating from 2100 to 2500 head.
Their $3200 top price was reserved for the Poll ram penned in lot two, a son of Ejanding Poll 156511 with tests of 18.3 micron, 3 SD, 16.4 CV, 99.9pc CF and 71.8pc yield.
The Sparkmans $3100 top Merino price was paid for the third ram offered, 106kg son of Ejanding 150611 with tests of 20 micron, 3 SD, 15 CV, 99.7pc CF and a top 10pc ranking for YWT 10.9 and DP 153.5 ASBVs.
Other volume buyers at the sale included Livestock and Land’s Aaron Caldwell, Landmark Kellerberrin/Cunderdin, who tallied 13 Poll rams on behalf of repeat volume buyers W Emmott & Sons, Dowerin, paying from $800 to $2000 for their selections.
Fellow return buyers IA & CA Kerr, Coorow, collected 11 rams including five poll rams paying from $2300 to $2800 and six Merino rams from $1200 to $3100.
Stephen Keatley, Westcoast Wool & Livestock Brookton, built an account of 10 Poll rams on behalf of a client, paying from $1400 to $2100 while Elders Wongan Hills agent Jeff Brennan representing consistent buyer of bigger Poll numbers, J & AJ Brennan, Wongan Hills, purchased nine rams in the back half of the sale from $800 to $1900.
Numerous buyers bid up for their multiple selections at the sale with some other bigger teams including RE & WK Jones, Dowerin, seven Merino rams to $2700, Livestock and Land’s principal Rex Luers, Landmark Kellerberrin/Cunderdin, with six Poll rams to $2400 for NB & KL Frearson, Wongan Hills, IT Leeson & Co, Goomalling, with two Polls and five Merino rams (one following the sale) to $2200 and P Meston & Co, Bolgart, to $2000.
