IT has been a bracing year for the Parsons family but the positives outweighed the negatives at its Kintail Park on-property Dohne sale when it posted a $4300 top and averaged a solid $1626 last week.
The Jerramungup stud, along with many of its clients, is in the heartland of the 2018 big dry spell and while some backed off on the number of rams bought, it seemed none shied away from chasing the rams they preferred.
The top price buyer was Mark Plunkett, Kaola, Green Range, who described himself as an occasional ram buyer and runs about 1800 pure Dohne ewes based on Kintail Park bloodlines.
He said he bred a few rams for his own use and his decision to buy KP171452 by KP132180, was based less on the available figures and more on what he saw.
“I liked his structural correctness but I was looking for wool cut too,” Mr Plunkett said.
The ram had one of the higher yearling fleece weight figures in the catalogue at 8.2 and its 147 Dohne index was a combination of 4.9 yearling weight, 0.8 yearling eye muscle depth, 0.1 yearling fat and -0.6 yearling fibre diameter.
Last year’s $3500 top price was exceeded four times at this year’s sale and the first time was by Sam West, Balgun, Wagin, another occasional buyer who was looking for an addition to the family’s Dohnebouillet flock.
He bought the high index lot three for $4000 and, again, it had a high 12.8 fleece breeding value coupled with a high 162 Dohne index.
Victorian breeder Alistair Greenshields, Glenaroua stud, Kilmore, was part of a visiting interstate contingent looking at WA rams.
He bought two rams at Chirniminup sale earlier in the week before turning his attention to Kintail Park where one particular sheep caught his eye.
Lot four had a balanced set of figures combining for 142 index and sparked a flurry of activity before it was knocked down to him by Landmark auctioneer Mark Bradbury for $3800.
Mr Greenshields said he was not unduly concerned about individual trait measurements, but as long as the index was OK and the wool was acceptable, he wanted a solid compact ram with a big butt to serve a special purpose in the flock.
Prices surged again when Brendon Watterson, Tenterden, paid $3600 as he put together a team with high clean fleece weights and high indexes.
By the time he secured his four rams he had paid some of the day’s highest prices including $3000 and $2900 (twice) to use in a complex cross breeding operation run with his father Trevor and brother Lindsay.
The men run Merinos as well as the main Dohne ewe flock and mate a proportion to a variety of terminal sire breeds.
Brendon said they had the manpower to run the different sheep components but importantly they had to care for themselves because they also undertook a big cropping operation.
One other significant price was set when LF & JM Bridger, Ravensthorpe, bid to $3000 for the best of four rams all of which were high indexing, high fleece weight sheep.
This year stud principals Kim, Rhys and Travis Parsons made an early decision to put up an expanded 175-ram offering regardless of the season and although the 26 active buyers took a good slice of the yarding, there were still a proportion of unsold sheep.
Family spokesman Rhys said he was very thankful for the continued support of loyal clients and was pleased to see such good competition on preferred lots which were usually the higher wool cutting rams.
“I was happy with the presentation considering the season but there have been a lot of sheep go out of the area,” Rhys said.
“We were just short of a couple of volume buyers to lift the clearance but everyone was happy, there was no panic buying and smart buyers put together some good teams.”
By the end 115 rams had sold for a $1626 average, just $17 less than last year.
The most important buyer helping to clear the shed was RE & ML Lester & Sons, Jacup.
Margaret Lester and sons Ashley and Michael paid $2500 for lot eight and were still bidding at lot 170.
By the end they had a 19-ram collection for up to $2500 ,but as demand weakened late in the sale they were able to average back to $1471 for the team.
The family has been long-term clients who have rarely, if ever, missed a Kintail Park sale and needed extra rams after buying in 900 ewes to stock a blue gum plantation they are regenerating.
They had studied figures and used them in conjunction to pick out some of the productive but plainer types.
The Muresk Institute of Agriculture, which established a collaborative partnership with the Dohne breed three years ago, was a first-time buyer getting two rams for $2300 and $2200.
Others to pay among the higher prices were RM & TF Edwards, Sunnymount Farm, Ravensthorpe, who paid up to $2800 for four; BR O’Neill, Ongerup, bought five rams for up to $2500; RW & JM Ditchburn, Kukerin, paid $2500 and $2300 for two rams; Kuibrook Farms, Ravensthorpe, paid $2300 (twice) for four; and GC & SM Mitchell, Esperance, paid $2100 for four also.
Volume buyers at more moderate values were Ryelands Farming, Jerramungup, which bought nine; M & M Gorman, Wellstead, bought seven and Brian Trundle, Kulin, also left the sale with seven.