IT was a highly professional and well supported first on-property ram sale recently for Mollerin Rock Dohnes, Cadoux, which saw the top price reach $3100.
Elders conducted the sale with seven staff on hand for new stud owners R Applegate & Co who bought the stud about nine months ago from Ian and Step Longmuir, Mollerin Rock.
Anthony Applegate said they had been total cropping before purchasing the stud and so they had invested in on-farm infrastructure in order to operate, including replacing old fences and water troughs and a new purpose built dome shelter, which housed the sale.
He said it was an exciting new enterprise and hoped that they could be as successful as the Longmuir's had been in the past.
Mitchell Applegate has taken on the role of running the stud and said he was pleased with the outcome of the sale.
Elders auctioneer on the day Dean Hubbard said "we often hear of people getting out of sheep, so it is good to have people coming into sheep".
"It's really pleasing to see young guys (like Mitchell) take on a stud and we wish him all the best," Mr Hubbard said.
The season so far had been drier than normal at Cadoux with less than half the expected rainfall for this time of the year, which had impacted the feed available.
Mr Applegate said they had been supplementary feeding in preparation for the sale.
The Longmuir's and their Elders agent Wayne Maher, Koorda, have remained on hand to assist the family as they embarked on their new enterprise as well as preparing and presenting the rams for sale.
Their continued association with the stud led to 20 registered buyers on the day including long-time supporters from the area and as far away as Dandaragan and Corrigin.
Buyers were selective after identifying the orange tag rams best suited to the needs of their operations.
Mr Applegate said Dohnes were a multi-purpose breed and so buyers would purchase according to the fleece or muscle fat requirements of their flock operations.
The $3100 top priced ram was the sole purchase by Gamble and Co, Wyalkatchem, and was the first of 100 on offer.
The average sale price was $1275 after only 17 rams were passed in.
The top ram weighed in at 101kg and recorded a weaning weight of 3.9kg, post weaning weight of 4.4kg, yearling bodyweight of 6kg, a yearling fleece weight of 12.9, a fibre diameter of -1.5 with a coefficient variation of 0.3 and an index of 160.1.
Competition was stiff during the first half of the sale with the second ram selling for $2900 to NM & JM Henning of Jenniel Holdings Pty Ltd, Koorda, who purchased a total of four rams.
Grant Consultants, Dandaragan, purchased a total of seven rams, paying $2500 for their top.
Wallambin Park, Koorda, also purchased seven rams, bidding as high as $2400 to secure lot 61.
TA & D Boyne & Sons, Koorda, purchased eight rams with lot nine being their top price at $2000.
NW Greaves and Sons, Koorda, loaded five rams onto the ute after paying $1900 for their top purchase.
Other volume buyers were M & M O'Driscoll, Grass Valley, who took home seven rams, and MV & DM O'Driscoll, Grass Valley, who took six.
Mr Applegate said the sale was a good opportunity to showcase the stud and also gauge the demand, which would help with ongoing breeding and selection for the future.
