STRONG support from a long list of return buyers and a handful of new clients, combined with an impressive line-up of rams, were the key ingredients for last week's highly successful Kamballie on-property ram sale at Tammin.
Prices hit a high of $10,750 in the sale for a young Poll Merino sire but it was the consistent prices across the increased offering of 180 rams that all sold, which was the highlight.
Right from the opening ram, the 47 registered buyers made their presence felt and bid strongly and they sustained this bidding intensity right until the last pen.
When Landmark auctioneer Michael Altus knocked down the final ram, all 180 offered had been sold at an average of $2064 and a gross of $371,600, ensuring a solid result for the Mackin family given the seasonal and market conditions of the past few months.
In comparison in last year's sale which occured on the back of a better season and market conditions, the stud offered and sold 172 rams to a top of $13,000 and an average of $2175.
In the breakdown 133 Poll Merinos sold for an average of $2170, which was back from $2318 in 2018 when 120 sold and 47 Merinos sold at an average of $1767, compared to $1845 last year when 52 sold.
Mr Altus said it was an extremely solid sale from start to finish and it showed quality sold well.
"Overall the sale in terms of prices and clearance was stronger than my pre-sale expectations given what has and is happening with the season and the down turn in the wool market over the past few months," Mr Altus said.
"It was a great result for the Mackin family and highlights their investment in new genetics is paying off and being recognised by their clients.
"It was pleasing to see new faces in the lanes buying, alongside a long list of repeat buyers, who come back year-in and year-out because they know the product and its quality.
"All the buyers were strong in their bidding and the consistent range of prices throughout the sale was a reflection of the consistent quality and presentation of the 180 rams penned.
"It was a very even line-up of rams that showed the depth of the stud and that its investment in genetics is paying off.
"The rams were all well-grown rams and showed great consitutions and good, stylish, white, well-defined crimpy wools Kamballie is known for."
The tone for the sale was set early with the $10,750 top-priced ram selling in the second pen.
After taking an opening bid of $6000 on the deep-bodied, stretchy sire, K65, Mr Altus fielded plenty of bids from around the lanes before he found the eventual buyer and the ram was knocked down to the Davies family, Cardiff stud, Yorkrakine, who were bidding with the assistance of Elders stud stock representative Kevin Broad.
Cardiff principal Quentin Davies, who has purchased from the stud in the past, said it was the ram's bloodline which he was particularly chasing as it was renowned for its stylish, broad crimping wools.
"He is an upstanding, big, robust sire but it was his stylish, well-defined crimpy wool which the industry is chasing that appealled the most," Mr Davies said.
The March shorn, shed prepared, two-tooth sire is by Kamballie Rookie K2, which is ET-bred by Gunallo 8.
Not only was the upstanding sire easy on the eye, it also had the wool figures to match with official June wool tests of 19.3 micron, 2.3 SD, 11.9 CV and 99.8 per cent comfort factor.
On the carcase front, the 115 kilogram ram had scans of 38.3mm eye muscle depth (EMD) and 8.7mm fat.
Mr Davies and Mr Broad didn't stop with just K65, the pair also went onto purchase another Rookie K2 son, K134, in pen 25 at the sale's $7500 second top price, as Mr Davies wanted two rams by the same sire to start a new family in his Poll flock.
K134, was one of the first April shorn, paddock run rams offered and it weighed in at 102kg with scans of 35mm EMD and 5.2mm fat.
On the wool side, it had April wool test figures of 17.9 micron, 3.5 SD, 19.6 CV, 99.9pc CF and a greasy fleece weight (GFW) of 6.3kg.
When it came to this ram Mr Davies said it was an interesting young sire which he believed could potentially grow into a top stud sire.
"He is structurally very sound and has the potential to cut a lot of wool," Mr Davies said.
"Like the top price ram his also carries the well-nourished, stylish, well-defined crimpy wool we were chasing.
"To me they were clearly the best two Poll rams in the shed and our aim is to get the stylish, well-defined crimpy wools these rams are carrying onto our Polls while still maintaing our body size and structure."
Losing bidder on both occasions to the Cardiff stud was return stud client John Goodier, Tyndale stud, Korbel.
But Mr Goodier didn't go home without a Rookie K2 son, he paid $4250 for a March shorn, shedded prepared one in lot seven which weighed in at 100kg and measured 18.8 micron, 3.4 SD and 99.9pc CF in the wool.
Return buyers the Nicholls family, BW & CM Nicholls, Corrigin, was also in the thick of the action early in the sale, bidding strongly on the March shorn, shed prepared ram, purchasing three to a top of $5000 (third top price in the sale), before purchasing the first April shorn Poll sire offered to finish with a team of four at a $4125 average.
They bid to $5000 for a 115kg Rookie K2 son which had June wool figures of 20 micron, 3.0 SD, 15.0 CV and 99.3pc CF, while they paid $4000 for their other two March shorn sires which were both by Rhamily Benny.
But it wasn't the Nicholls family which had the biggest impact on the Poll offering, it was in fact return buyers of more than 10 years the Saunders family, Mulberry Nominees, Kellerberrin.
They may not have purchased any of the three top-priced rams but they certainly had an impact on both the clearance and average of the sale.
By sale's end, the operation had secured 10 Poll sires at an average of $3174 and this included a 107kg March shorn son of Harry (Charinga bloodline) which measured 18.8 micron, 2.7 SD and 99.7pc CF in the wool with scans of 40.5mm EMD and 4.8mm fat.
Other strong supporters of just the Poll offering were GB & LB McDonald & Son, Kellerberrin, which averaged $2210 across a team of five, while Clows-Top Farm, Westonia, collected six at an average of $2175.
Burracoppin operation Peter J Whitlock was also a strong supporter securing five Polls at a $2150 average while R & P Teakle, Cunderdin, went home with a team of six at a $2008 average.
When it came to the Merino side of the catalogue, the highest price achieved was $4000 and this was paid by return buyers Brett and John Jefferys, GC & LR Jefferys & Sons, Walgoolan, who will mate 1300 ewes to Merinos this season.
They paid the value for Kamballie Muka, whose sale proceeds will be donated to the Blue Tree Project, along with another $4770 in cash donations collected by the Mackin family.
Brett Jefferys said the ram was a big bodied ram with a quality wool.
"He is a good strong boned ram and a good woolled sheep," Mr Jefferys said.
The March shorn, shed prepared 114kg ram, had June wool tests of 19.5 micron, 2.9 SD, 14.9 CV and 99.7pc CF along with scans of 38.5mm EMD and 5.8mm fat.
The $3750 and $3000 second and third top-priced Merino rams were purchased by Dremdarkin Farms, Tammin, which also secured four Polls at an average of $3250.
They paid the $3750 and $3000 values for two March shorn Merinos which both weighed 111.5kg and measured 17.7 micron and 17.6 micron respectively in the wool.
The biggest buyer of just Merino rams was Woodside County, Wyalkatchem, which collected a team of 10 Merinos to a top of $2000 and an average of $1315, while AL Carter & Co, Cunderdin, averaged $1300 across a team of five and BL Riley & Co, Trayning, collected four at a $1663 average.
The biggest buyers on the day purchasing at the top end of both the Poll Merino and Merino runs were repeat buyers of 15 years Alan and Jo Smith, Mount Joy Grazing Co, Northam.
The Smiths secured 11 Polls to a top of $4000 and an average of $2245 plus six Merinos at a $2133 average and to a top of $2750.
Mr Smith said the operation this year would mate 2800 ewes to Merinos, plus another 1000 Merino ewes to Poll Dorsets.
"We really like the size of the Kamballie sheep and the soft wools they produce," he said.
"They also suit and do very well in our environment."
Doodlakine operation VG & EB Ryan also bought from both sections and went home with six Merinos, averaging $1700 and four at a $1238 average.
Other bigger buyers on the day were clients of 15 years RJ & VJ York, Tammin, with eight Polls averaging $2000 and one Merino at $2250 and Faulkner Brother Holdings, Beacon, which averaged $2188 across four Merinos and $1710 across five Poll sires.
There was good news for the Mackin family before the sale even started, selling two stud reserves privately.
It sold a full wool Poll Merino sire to the Storer family's Cadonia Park stud, Cunderdin, for $10,000 and a two-tooth Merino ram for $5000 to the Reid family's Arrin Park stud, Three Springs.
Cadonia Park stud principal Bruce Storer said it was the first time they had purchased from the Kamballie stud and attended the sale after liking what they saw in the Kamballie display at the Dowerin field days.
"I had a bit of discussion with Shayne (Mackin) about what he had and he told me about this ram so I did a bit of digging on his history and bloodline and was impressed," Mr Storer said.
"After seeing him penned in the reserve pens at the sale this morning we decided to invest some money and have a go.
"He is a big animal, who is structurally sound and upright on his feet and he also has a clean, bright, white wool.
"But it was his structural soundness that was the key factor in us purchasing him."
The upstanding six-tooth sire is by Glenlea Park 881 and had wool figures of 19.0 micron, 2.8 SD, 14.7 CV and 99.7pc CF.
Landmark Breeding representative Mitchell Crosby negotiated the purchase of the Merino ram for the Reids and said it was purchased for its wool nourishment, large frame and heavy wool cutting ability.
The ram is by Woolkabin 533 and had wool figures of 23.0 micron and 98.5pc.
These two private sales are also on the back of the stud selling its young Poll Merino sire, which was sashed the champion ram lamb at this year's Make Smoking History Wagin Woolorama for $14,000 to the Argentinian Laguna de Toro stud.