IT'S a big occasion every year when the Kolindale team at Dudinin presents its annual drop of Merinos, Poll Merinos and White Suffolks to buyers at its on-property ram sale.
At this year's sale things were no different, when a total of 507 sires went under the hammer with 492 finding new homes at auction, achieving a combined gross of $827,300 and average of $1682, including a top of $10,000 for a Merino ram.
In the breakdown, there were 101 Merino rams on offer, 246 Poll Merinos and 160 White Suffolks which were all met with lively competition.
Just one Merino ram was passed in on the day, taking the Merino average to $1788, while five Poll Merinos were passed in, resulting in a $2021 average.
The White Suffolks saw 151 of 160 sold, acheiving an average of $1070 which improved on last year by $69.
Kolindale stud principal Luke Ledwith said he was really happy with how the sale had gone.
"The sheep and wool markets are the best they've ever been but the season is a bit against us at the moment," Mr Ledwith said.
"So we're really pleased to see so many returning clients as well as new clients here today.
"We're constantly investing in our breeding program, in particular a big AI program, so to see so many buyers here today indicates we're hopefully going in the direction they need.
"But the most rewarding thing for me is to get out into the paddocks with our clients and see the results there working for them, that's where the biggest reward is.
"I've been pleased to see when I've been out classing for clients that their wool cut and quality is improving and that's why we're continuing to invest in quality genetics."
Merino and Poll Merino
In another mammoth selling effort from Elders stud stock auctioneering duo of Nathan King and Preston Clarke, the line-up of Kolindale Merinos and Poll Merinos, 347 head strong, once again achieved excellent results at auction.
Returning and new clients were served a feast of options to select from on the day, with 341 sires selling under the hammer and the majority of those receiving good competition from multiple bidders.
Combined, the Merinos and Polls reached a gross of $665,800 and an average of $1952 which was down from last year's ripper average of $2207, but nonetheless marked another successful year of breeding for the Ledwith family.
The sale bettered last year's top price of $9000 when the Merino in lot three drew out a bidding war which started at $4000 and ended when Simon Hill, CMH Agri, Mindarabin, outlaid the winning bid of $10,000.
Mr Hill, who was the top-priced buyer at last year's sale, is familiar with the standard of quality on offer at Kolindale but said he was trying for something a bit different with this purchase.
"This ram we've bought to use as a breeding ram over our nucleus flock of ewes and we're looking to change direction a bit, aiming for a bit more thickness, with the right shape and constitution," Mr Hill said.
Lot three fitted the criteria for Mr Hill who runs 5000 Merino ewes with Kolindale blood which have been achieving results at the Mindarabin operation for eight years.
The top-priced ram of the day had wool test figures including 19.6 micron, 3.6 SD, 18.4 CV and 99.6 CF.
Mr Hill also went on to buy more rams during the sale, tallying up a total of eight at an average of $4075.
The top-priced Poll Merino for the day was the very first ram to be offered up, with Richard and Willa Steel, Carriber stud, South Yilgarn, the successful buyers with a final bid of $7200 after the opening bid of the day was taken at $4500.
The big March-shorn Poll had wool test figures including 18.8 micron, 3.2 SD, 17.0 CV and 99.8 CF.
Buyer Mr Steel said the ram had a beautiful constitution and well-nourished white wool.
"We've bought a few sires from Luke since he first started years ago so we're looking forward to seeing how this ram performs," Mr Steel said.
The top-priced selection represented the only purchase at the sale for the Steel family.
Coming in not far behind at the second top-priced Poll Merino for the day, was the ram in lot five which booked a ticket to Salmon Gums with the McCrea family.
The bidding started early on this ram as well, but the McCreas held out to secure the ram at $7000.
Young sheep enthusiast Sean McCrea, 11, got a day off school to attend the sale and said the family liked the wool on their second top-priced ram.
It had wool test figures including 21.2 micron, 3.5 SD, 16.5 CV and 98.4 CF.
The long-time buyers of Kolindale genetics will be putting their new purchase to work with their 1700 mating Merino ewes down at Salmon Gums along with one other purchase they made on the day with the Poll Merino in lot 90 also theirs for $4800.
In the volume buying stakes at this year's sale, there were plenty of familiar faces bidding up on Kolindale genetics, as well as some newcomers.
Again, 'Chilwell' was called out several times throughout the sale, with Landmark Breeding representative Mitchell Crosby holding the bidding card on behalf of the Fowler family, Condingup, who had been buying large numbers at the Kolindale sale for many years.
This year was no different, with Mr Crosby securing a team of 35 including 20 Merinos and 15 Polls to average $1483 overall.
Mr Crosby said he was looking for large framed rams with long-stapled, heavy cutting white wools to go down to the Southern Coastal environment at Condingup.
There were several other buyers leaving with substantial teams of Kolindale rams, including the Mouritz family, RBY Mouritz, Hyden, who returned to the sale again to secure 15 Merino and Poll Merino rams at an overall average of $2180, while another returning client, Eddie Tomsic, E & H Tomsic, Karlgarin, bought 10 Poll Merinos to average $3380, including a top of $4700.
Mr Tomsic, who mates about 2500 ewes at Karlgarin, said he was after nice long staples of bright, white wool, which he was able to get year after year at Kolindale.
There were many other buyers who were able to get their hands on teams of rams, with the latest drop of Kolindale Merino and Poll Merino genetics heading to properties throughout the Great Southern, Wheatbelt and Southern Coastal regions.
Elders auctioneer Nathan King said it was a really pleasing result given the season is getting that bit drier every week.
"It's nice to see so many sheep people committed to turning up and supporting a sale with 340 odd rams on offer," Mr King said.
"I'd absolutely agree with Luke's comments before the sale - I think this is probably the best line-up he's produced and the support he has received today is a testament to the effort which goes in.
"All in all, it went really well."
White Suffolk
Before the Merinos got under way, the day kicked off with a very even yarding of 160 Kolindale White Suffolk rams.
The Landmark auctioneering tag team of Michael Altus and James Culleton rattled through the offering and when they knocked down the final ram, 151 had been sold under the hammer to a top of $2800 and for an average of $1070, which was up $69 on last year's result.
In last year's sale the stud offered 150 sires and sold 140 for an average of $1001.
Mr Altus said overall it was a strong sale in terms of both prices and clearance considering the seasonal conditions.
"It was a very well-presented, even line-up of rams and buyers responded accordingly," Mr Altus said.
"The offering was once again well-supported by a good number of return buyers who know the quality of the rams and what the genetics will produce."
Also happy with the result given the season was Landmark Breeding representative Roy Addis, who said it was a solid sale result given the number of ewes which have exited the breeding system Statewide.
"It was pleasing to see the Ledwith family achieve this solid result, given their reinvestment in top quality genetics for their breeding program," Mr Addis said.
The $2800 top price was paid by second year buyers Trevor and Sophie Major, TR Major, Muntadgin.
Mr Major said the top-priced ram was an impressive sire and just what they were chasing.
"He has length of body, a good backend and is smooth through the shoulders and chest," Mr Major said.
The long, deep ram weighed in at 112.4 kilograms and had scans of 42mm eye muscle depth (EMD) and 8mm fat.
Along with the top-priced ram, the Majors secured another two sires.
They paid $1700 for a 119.5kg ram with scans of 43mm EMD and 6.8mm fat and $1500 for a 115kg ram with scans of 40mm EMD and 6.4mm fat.
All three rams will join the Majors' sire battery which will be mated to 400 Prime SAMM ewes.
Prior to using White Suffolks over their Prime SAMM ewes the Majors were using Coolalee rams.
Mr Major said they recently shore their first-drop of White Suffolk-Prime SAMM cross lambs which were dropped in April and they were looking good.
"We haven't weighed them yet but they looked like they were between 45-50kg," Mr Major said.
"Our plan is to sell them in the next month."
Last year's top price buyer Jeremy James, JJJ Farms, Hyden, was again active at the top end of the catalogue.
Mr James, who has been buying the Kolindale/Yanda bloodline for 10 years, finished the sale with nine rams for an average of $1456.
The team topped at $1600 for a 121kg ram with scans of 42.4mm EMD and 6.3mm fat.
Mr James said he would use the rams over a mix of 1400 Merino and first-cross Prime SAMM-Merino ewes.
He said the family liked using the White Suffolk breed because of its easy lambing, good growth rates and cleaner heads and tails which allows them to run them through spring with very few grass seed issues.
"I was chasing the high growth rams with good eye muscles and backends as we want to turn our lambs off at 18 to 22 weeks," Mr James said.
The operation drops its lambs over two lambings, end of April-May and May/June and turns half of them off as suckers in mid September/early October while the rest are run through on stubbles and sold in January/February.
The clear volume buyer in the offering was Landmark Esperance Brindley & Chatley agent Darren Chatley, who was purchasing on behalf of the Fowler family, Chilwell, Condingup.
Mr Chatley secured 40 rams for the operation, paying to a top of $1500 twice and an average of $1108.
The operation has been using White Suffolk rams for 10 years and Simon Fowler said they like using them because of their length and thickness of body and because you can turn the progeny off early into the spring market.
Chilwell mates 8000 Merino ewes annually to White Suffolk rams and has already turned off one third of this year's drop.
Mr Fowler said while they had sold lambs already this year they were about five weeks behind normal due to the season.
The operation drops its lambs in April and aims to turn them off at 19.5kg carcase weight.
Another sizeable buyer in the sale was return buyer of three years Luke Lansdell, Tarwell Farming, Wickepin.
Mr Lansdell, who mates 1500 ewes to White Suffolk sires and turns his lambs off as suckers, purchased 10 rams for an average of $920.
Landmark Wickepin agent Ty Miller was also busy during the sale buying for a number of clients from different areas of the State.
His purchases included 10 rams for a return Mt Barker client at an average of $880 and seven for a repeat Meckering client at an average of $1029.
Mr Miller said he was chasing well-grown and well-muscled rams with length and depth.
"The Kolindale stud has a reputation of breeding some of the largest White Suffolk around and you could certainly see that today," Mr Miller said.
"The stud's investment into new genetics is certainly paying off as you can see it in the rams they are presenting each year which are continuing to improve."