IT was another great line-up of Poll Merino rams which again greeted buyers at the annual Nepowie on-property ram sale at Noman's Lake recently.
The rams were neck tied to rails in the shearing shed rather than head haltered as in past years and the system worked very well, allowing buyers to inspect them with extensive test details on cards hanging above them.
Forty four potential buyers from as far north as Northampton, east to Hyden, west to Boyup Brook and south east to Dunn Rock ensured Elders auctioneer Don Morgan obtained a total clearance of the 246 rams on offer in just two hours and 10 minutes to a top of $10,750 and an overall average of $1728.
That top price of $10,750 came with the seventh ram offered when Mulga Springs stud principals Chris Hasleby and his daughter Jessica Horstman outbid all other competition to secure the Glenlea Park bred ram and take home the new sire for their 700-head stud ewe flock.
Mr Hasleby and Ms Horstman said they have used Glenlea Park semen in their stud with very good success, hence their choice at the sale and along with their consultant Terry Stokes, were also impressed with the figures backing the ram.
The ram had a current bodyweight of 98 kilogram with carcase scans of 3.3 fat and 30.5mm eye muscle depth.
On the wool side it had test figures of 18.6 micron, 3.5 SD, 18.8 CV, 99.9 per cent comfort factor, 74.8pc yield and a greasy fleece weight of 6.8kg.
Mr Hasleby said he first bought from Nepowie more than 15 years ago and has bought sires from the stud over the years and now with Jessica and her family back on the farm and with her interest in the stud, they are building up the number of rams they sell at the Northampton sale and privately.
The losing bidder on the top-priced ram was John Goodier, JR & SM Goodier, Tyndale Poll Merino stud, Korbel, but he didn't go home empty handed as he had already purchased the first ram in the team at $8750.
The second ram offered also sold for top money when it made the third top price of $6000 going to regular clients of Nepowie, Phil and Alan Bear, FJ Bear & Co, Moonijin stud, Dowerin, buyers of the equal top priced ram at $7200 at last year's sale.
The Bears also paid $2500 for another ram in the sale.
The fourth highest price for the sale was $5200 for the third ram offered and this ram is also headed north to Wongan Hills after being knocked down to David Millsteed, Daybron Farms, Mocardy stud.
Other rams to sell at the top end include one at $3600 which was part of a team of three knocked down to Boyagin Valley Farms Brookton, while Morlup Nominees, East Pingelly, secured one sire during the sale at $3500 and Dudinin operation HRD Pastoral paid up to $3400 for its team five.
Long-term client of the stud, Gavin Elsgood, VR & BJ Elsgood, down again from Mingenew this year and bidding through Elders Mingenew representative Ross Tyndale-Powell, also paid to a high of $3400 for a sire which was part of team of 17 collected by the pair.
To clear an offering of 264 rams a stud needs a long list of regular volume clients and they were there again for this sale.
Topping the volume buyers list with 20 rams purchased up to $2000 were Narrogin clients TW Flavell & Co and up from Wagin, Steve Angwin, SK & TR Angwin, bought 16 up to $2200, while Beverley client Jamie Blight, RE Blight & Co, went home having bought 12 up to $2400.
More locally LD Kilpatrick & Co, Noman's Lake and Keiran Quartermaine, Carlton Springs, Narrogin, both bought 14 rams each, while McDougall Bros, Tincurrin, went home with 11 rams and from further afield, Ron Lay, RB & B Lay, was back again buying eight up to $2800 twice.
A more recent buyer of rams from Nepowie is the Western Australian College of Agriculture, Narrogin and this year farm manager Steve Madson, along with a couple of students were back again for the sale and purchased 10 rams.
Mr Madson said the college bought rams privately three years ago and were very happy with the progeny and that of those bought last year.
Of the 44 potential buyers registered this year, 41 had a ram or rams knocked down to them.
Commenting on the sale Elders auctioneer Don Morgan said it was a great offering of modern quality Poll Merino rams, all carrying excellent white wools.
"Once again the offering attracted a widespread of buyers who bid strongly to clear the entire offering at auction," Mr Morgan said.
Nepowie stud principal Cameron White said it was very pleasing to see so many long-term clients of the stud back again along with some attending for the first time.
He said it has been pleasing watching the rams coming through the past 12 months being true to type and working on the basic principals of breeding easy care sheep and therefore feeling confident those rams coming through as such to suit clients requirements which has resulted in a total clearance at auction.
