A TOP catalogue of Merino and Poll Merino rams attracted strong buying support at the annual Wyalkatchem and Districts Merino Breeders Association Ram Sale last week.
Loyal buyers from the central, eastern and northern Wheatbelt and Central Midlands districts joined a couple of new faces at the Wyalkatchem ram selling shed to play a role in the successful result.
With quality wools and well-grown conformations available through to the final lot, the line-up of rams drew many favourable comments throughout the day.
And with plenty of positivity in the sheep industry, on the back of favourable seasonal conditions and strong sheep and grain commodity prices, buyers were prepared to invest in their Merino breeding programs, bidding up on selected lots and filling their sire requirements for upcoming joining with numbers.
This resulted in positive results for sale vendors the Olinda Poll Merino stud, Wyalkatchem and the Cardiff Merino and Poll Merino studs, Yorkrakine.
The two studs offered an increased combined catalogue of 196 rams leaving only a few spare pens empty in the selling shed.
At the end of selling, the Elders team headed by auctioneer Don Morgan and strongly supported by the Elders network, cleared all bar six rams overall at auction to average a strong $1887.
This led to a significant improvement in clearance and average compared to last year’s sale.
Collectively a further 26 rams were sold under the hammer while the average received a $407 boost.
Last year 164 of 179 rams (92 per cent) sold at auction to average $1887.
The sale’s top-price honours again went to the Olinda stud with their regulation shorn sale team leader claiming the top bid of $4700.
Accepting the final bid was Bernie Quade, Quade AgriServices, Landmark Wyalkatchem, who purchased the ram on behalf of CM Gould & Sons, Nabawa.
The 116kg Collinsville Imperial 141 bred ram displayed current wool tests of 20.1 micron, 75pc yield, 3 SD, 14.9 CV and 99.9pc comfort factor (CF).
The Olinda stud also thought highly of the ram, retaining 250 doses of semen for their own stud use.
The Goulds also collected the following regulation shorn Olinda ram from the Mulloorie Charlie family for $2800 through Mr Quade’s bidding.
Marshall Gould said they are first time buyers at Olinda and first saw the sheep at this year’s Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days in August.
He said the rams would be used in their nucleus to breed flock rams for their 1300 head Merino ewes joining.
“They have our type of wool, soft and bold crimping on a big frame so we will see what they can do,” Mr Gould said.
p Olinda
The Eaton family’s Olinda stud got the sale underway with its team of 79 Poll Merino rams.
Stud, nucleus and commercial buying support cleared 73 rams (92pc) at auction to average $1577.
While the stud’s average slipped by $167, it sold a further nine rams to lift its sale returns from last year where 64 of 71 rams (90pc) sold at auction to average $1744.
Olinda’s $3400 second top price was paid by return buyers GE & LD Stratford, Dowerin.
The Stratfords purchased four rams for a healthy average of $2725 with their top price paid for the 110kg Olinda Wylie bred ram in lot 24 displaying wool tests of 21 micron and 99.5pc CF.
John Barrett-Lennard, Annandale stud, Beverley, paid the next highest price of $3100 for lot 17.
The 118kg ram was also from the Mulloorie Charlie family with tests of 22.3 micron and 98.5pc CF.
Long-time local Olinda client and 30 years plus supporter of the Wyalkatchem sale, Stratford & Sons, returned to stock up with nine Olinda rams paying from $1200 to a $2800 top price for a 121kg ram testing 21.1 micron and 99.5pc CF from the Collinsville Imperial-141 family.
Ronver Hills Farming, Dalwallinu, also paid to $2800 for one of four rams, a 121kg Mulloorie family bred ram with tests of 21.8 micron and 99.5pc CF.
Bigger Olinda accounts included consistent buyers JW Holdsworth, Yelbeni and RJ & ME Crute, Wyalkatchem, with tallies of nine and eight rams respectively costing from $800 to $1200.
P & A Alvaro, Merredin, bid to $1700 for seven Olinda rams while RW & CE Ryan, Wyalkatchem and Corrylynne Farms, Dowerin, secured five Olinda rams.
p Cardiff
The Davies family’s Cardiff stud line-up of 117 Merino and Poll Merino rams delivered one of the strongest sale results for the Cardiff team.
Buyers competed strongly from start to finish on their rams of choice to record a total clearance of the Cardiff sale team and an awesome average of $2080 across the board.
This equalled a $769 jump on last year’s combined average of $1311 from 100 of 108 rams (93pc) to sell at auction and returned more than $100,000 in gross from last year.
In the breakdown, the team of 80 Merino rams led the way with the stud’s $4000 top price and sale high average of $2255, up $943 compared to last year where 66 of 69 rams (96pc) were sold to average $1312.
This year’s $1703 average from 37 Poll Merino rams sold marked a $394 lift from last year where 34 of 39 rams (87pc) sold to average $1309.
Return top Cardiff ram buyer Wayne Smith, Wongamine Grazing Company, Northam, sourced another two Cardiff sires for the family’s nucleus breeding program producing working rams to join to their 5000 Merino ewes.
Mr Smith paid Cardiff’s $4000 top price for the 118kg regulation shorn sale team leader by Cardiff Junior (by Woodyarrup Whopper) with autumn tests of 17.1 micron and 100pc CF.
He also paid $3600 for the following ram, a regulation shorn 109kg from the same family testing 17.5 micron and 99.9pc CF.
Mr Smith said it was their third year buying nucleus sires at Cardiff whose stylish wools were performing well for them.
First-time stud buyer Iain Nicholson, Boorabbin and Colvin Park studs, Wannamal, took a liking to numerous Cardiff Merino rams and finished the sale with five sires to commence a new family line at his stud.
Mr Nicholson paid from $2600 to a $3800 top price for the seventh regulation shorn ram offered, another Junior son weighing 117kg and testing 18.2 micron and 99.9pc CF.
Consistent top-end Cardiff buyer Des Haywood, DA & YM Haywood, Goomalling, returned to purchase three rams for $2500, $3000 and a $3700 top price for another Junior son weighing 107kg with 16.8 micron and 100pc CF wool tests.
But the sale’s most influential buyer was the White family, Gra-Mel Nominees, Badgingarra, who paid strong values anywhere between $1800 and $3000 for a haul of 22 Cardiff Merino rams.
Ten year plus Cardiff buyer Graham White said they required more rams this year after expanding their ewe numbers from 4700 ewes with the purchase his father’s neighbouring property and 1100 ewes.
He said they will join 6300 Merino ewes in December this year with the old ewes to commence lambing on May 1 and the main flock on May 15, 2019.
Mr White said the white free growing wools on the Cardiff sheep is what’s needed in their area and have been “doing the job” for them.
Other larger Cardiff Merino accounts included BJ & AM Large, Moorara Farms, Miling, with 10 Merino rams costing $1500 to $2400 and BM & KZ Morgan, Northam, with nine rams from $1200 to $2400.
Kevin Broad, Elders stud stock, representing regular buyers NA & FJ Cosgrove, Shackleton, collected seven Merino rams and three polls paying to $2200 and Sashse Farming, Bencubbin, bid to $2500 for seven Merinos and one poll ram.
Cardiff’s $3500 top poll price was paid by Kevin Broad representing an undisclosed northern Wheatbelt account.
The regulation shorn 109kg ram by Old Ashrose Will tested 16.9 micron and 99.8pc CF.
Regular top-end poll buyer Des Tilbrook, CA & DA Tilbrook, Yorkrakine, paid $3100 for the 122kg team leader by Banavie 333 that tested 19.7 micron and 99.8pc CF.
Consistent poll buyer Terry Coleman, SG Coleman & Co, Cunderdin, claimed four rams paying from $1800 to $2500 while NW Greaves & Sons, Koorda and GA & MJ Lee, Dowerin, collected four poll rams each.