A QUALITY offering of prime lamb sires from three studs and solid buying support from producers looking to capitalise on the position of the lamb market ensured a better than expected sale result at Gnowangerup recently.
The Yonga Downs White Suffolk stud, the Curlew Creek Poll Dorset stud and the Glenelg Prime SAMM stud combined for the first time to offer 218 rams under the Nutrien Livestock banner in the Garnett family's selling complex.
With good support from return buyers, prices hit a high of $3100 for a Yonga Downs rams and Nutrien Livestock auctioneer Mark Warren knocked down 186 rams under the hammer in two hours of selling for an average of $1141.
Yonga Downs White Suffolk
Brenton Addis' Yonga Downs White Suffolk stud, Gnowangerup, opened the sale with an offering of 98 rams and Mr Warren had no problems extracting bids from buyers through the run.
When the final Yonga Downs rams was knocked down and the figures calculated, all 98 rams had sold under the hammer for an average of $1361, which was the best average of the three studs in the sale and up on its 2019 sale result.
Last year Yonga Downs offered and sold 90 rams under the hammer for an average of $1266.
Mr Warren said it was a magnificent line-up of very even, high figured, long-bodied rams from pen one to 98.
"The offering met with good support from repeat buyers who are getting great results with their lambs," Mr Warren said.
"There was solid competition throughout the catalogue and the final sale result was slightly stronger than expected."
The Yonga Downs sale result was set up early when the stud's second ram attracted strong buyer attention.
Mr Warren took an opening bid of $1000 on the long, upstanding ram and the price quickly rose after a flurry of bids.
In the end it was return buyers Braden and Kate Johnston, Johnston Plains, Nyabing, which had the final bid at the day's $3100 top price.
Mr Johnston said the ram was a well-grown sire with a good eye muscle and post weaning weight figure.
"When selecting our rams we focus on post weaning weight and this ram ticked that box," Mr Johnston said.
The 116 kilogram ram, which is by Boolooa 170093, has LambPlan figures of 0.23 BWT, 10.6 WWT, 17.4 PWWT, 0.0 PFAT, 2.4 PEMD and a terminal carcase production (TCP) index of 146.
Along with securing the top-priced ram in the Yonga Downs run, the Johnstons also secured the stud's team leader which had a TCP index of 155 for $1800, along with two sires further down the catalogue at $1250 and $1050 to finish with team of four at an $1800 average.
The Johnstons this year are aiming to mate 2700 Prime SAMM-Dohne cross ewes to White Suffolk rams.
The majority of their lambs are dropped in late March/April, while they also drop a small number in July and aim to turn their lambs off as suckers.
This year because of the dry season and low feed reserves, they sold their early drop lambs in July to graziers at 24-42kg liveweight for a $125 average.
Mr Johnston said they liked the White Suffolk breed because they were quick growing and produced a meaty lamb with a good carcase.
The next highest price paid in the Yonga Downs run was $2200, which was bid by P & W Bradshaw, Tambellup, for a 108kg sire with LambPlan figures of 0.32 BWT, 10.2 WWT, 16.1 PWWT, 0.5 PFAT and 2.4 PEMD to go with a TCP index of 145.5.
The Tambellup operation also secured another two Yonga Downs sires to finish with a team of three at an average of $1700.
Katanning operation Capemont Farms had the biggest influence in the Yonga Downs run when it secured a dozen sires to a top of $2100 twice and average of $1613, making it the volume buyer in the run.
It paid $2100 for rams with TCP indexes of 150.5 and 150.1, which rank the rams in the top 10pc of the breed for the index.
There were two others to secure double figure teams in the run - Mark Haynes & Co, Frankland River, averaged $1210 across a team while Jokar Farming, Broomehill, purchased 10 rams at a $1050 average.
Other major buyers in the Yonga Downs offering were PS Climie & Co, Cranbrook, with a team of seven averaging $1621 and SK & TR Angwin, Wagin, purchased seven at a $1357, while AJ & M Coward, Esperance, took home six at a $1300 average and DJ Tapscott & Co, Pingrup, finished with five to a top of $2000 twice and a $1740 average.
Curlew Creek Poll Dorset
The Garnett family's Curlew Creek stud, Gnowangerup, was up next with an offering of 80 well-structured and high figured Poll Dorset sires.
When Mr Warren knocked down the stud's final ram, a total of 61 sires had sold under the hammer from the 80 offered to a top of $2200 and an average of $915, which meant both the number of rams sold and the average were back on the stud's 2019 sale result.
In their sale last year the Garnett family offered and sold 112 sires for a $996 average.
Taking top price honours in the Curlew Creek offering was a June-drop 102kg sire by Bundara Downs 170180.
Bidding started at $1200 on the upstanding ram, which showed plenty of stretch and balance before Mr Warren took the final $2200 bid from first time buyer Ashton Mills, AG & LJ Mills, Ashlin stud, King River.
Mr Mills said he liked the ram due to its nice clean points and good set of figures.
"He is also good on his feet which is a must for us given the area we farm in," Mr Mills said.
The twin-born ram has LambPlan figures of 0.48 BWT, 10.8 WWT, 16.5 PWWT, 0.3 PFAT, 4.1 PEMD and a TCP index of 152.9.
The Mills family have 80 registered ewes in their stud and breed rams mainly for their own use.
They mate about 800 Dohne ewes to Poll Dorset sires annually and like the Poll Dorset breed as the lambs are fast growing and they can be turned off quickly.
The second highest price in the run was $1600 when the WA College of Agriculture, Harvey, secured a 95kg twin-born ram which has LambPlan figures of 0.49 BWT, 12.0 WWT, 17.5 PWWT, -0.1 PFAT, 3.2 PEMD and a TCP index of 147.
The college also secured a second ram that was twin born with a TCP index of 141 for $1200.
After buying a ute load of White Suffolk rams from Yonga Downs, return buyers SK & TR Angwin also purchased strongly in the Curlew Creek offering.
The Wagin operation was the volume buyer in the run, purchasing nine sires at an average of $961 and to a high of $1400 for a 93kg ram with a 150 TCP index.
Just one ram short of the Angwin's total was Karalee Farms, Coolup, finishing the sale with eight rams at an average of $1000, while RJ & AM Squibb, Tambellup, went home with six Curlew Creek rams on their ute at an $808 average.
Other buyers to have an influence on the Curlew Creek offering which purchased smaller teams but at higher prices were return buyers Cristinelli Grazing Co, Tambellup, finishing with two rams at $1400 and $1150, while MA Milne & Co, Borden, averaged $1020 across a team of five and Maywill Farms, Waroona, went home with two at $1100 and $1050.
Mr Warren said the final Curlew Creek sale result was stronger than expected especially in terms of clearance.
"The offering penned up very well and was very even from start to finish and it received buying support from many repeat buyers," Mr Warren said.
"Most buyers were looking for the higher figured, long-bodied rams and there were plenty of those types of rams in the offering to choose from."
Glenelg Prime SAMM
After selling on-property for the past two years the Moir family, Glenelg Prime SAMM stud, Borden, joined up with the Curlew Creek and Yonga Downs studs to sell this year.
The stud was third to sell in the sale and put forward an offering of 40 well-grown Prime SAMM sires.
With a handful of buyers operating on the offering Mr Warren had his work cut out for him.
By the end of the run he had sold 27 of the 40 rams offered under the hammer for an average of $852, and while the stud's average was back $84 on its on-property sale last year, it did sell an extra two rams under the hammer compared to 2019.
The clearance for the stud was improved even further post sale when it sold another four rams.
Mr Warren said the Moir family offered a very good line-up of Prime SAMM rams which had great size and weight plus very good figures for both carcase and wool traits.
"We just lacked a couple of extra buyers which would have helped increase the competition on the catalogue and in turn the clearance and prices," Mr Warren said.
"The final sale result was certainly not a reflection of the quality of the rams on offer as they penned up very well."
Leading the charge in the Glenelg offering was the stud's team leader when it was knocked down for the stud's $1700 top price.
Nutrien Livestock Breeding representative Roy Addis came out on top in the battle for the ram after taking buying instructions over the phone from first time buyer Peter Fielding, Sunny Brae Prime SAMM stud, Peterborough, South Australia.
Mr Addis said Mr Fielding was chasing a good carcased ram which was structurally correct and good in the wool.
The April-drop, 102kg rams was sold with carcase scans of 47.4mm eye muscle depth (EMD) and 5.7mm fat and wool figures of 22.2 micron and 99.4 per cent comfort factor.
Return buyers of five years Braden and Kate Johnston, were also prepared to bid up on the Glenelg offering and bid to $1500 for the second ram offered which weighed in at 111kg.
It had scans of 46.2mm EMD and 6.8mm fat along with wool tests of 20.2 micron and 99.6pc comfort factor (CF).
The Johnstons also secured a second Glenelg ram at $1150 that weighed 109kg with scans of 44.4mm EMD and 6.7mm fat plus wool measuring 20.1 micron and 99.5pc CF.
Mr Johnston said they liked the Prime SAMM breed because they were good mothers which were capable of turning lambs off early.
"They are big framed ewes and still produce a good wool of 21-22 microns," he said.
The Johnstons this year are looking at mating 1800 Prime SAMM-Dohne cross ewes to Prime SAMM rams.
The volume buyer in the Glenelg run was Colin Garnett, RJ Garnett & Son, Gnowangerup, who purchased 10 rams under the hammer to a top of $800 twice and an average of $680.
He also purchased the four rams which sold after the sale all at $600.
Mr Garnett said he was looking at joining some of his Merino ewes to Prime SAMM rams to produce a first-cross ewe which would be eventually joined to Poll Dorset rams for prime lamb production.
Another strong supporter in the Glenelg run was repeat buyer Burleigh Park, Tambellup, which averaged $960 over a team of five that topped at $1450.
It paid $1450 for the heaviest ram in the catalogue that weighed in at 118.5kg, with scans of 47mm EMD and 7.3mm fat, while in the wool it measured 22.2 micron and 98.5pc CF.
Albany-based operation P & D Hancock & Co, was another to secure five rams.
It paid to a top of $1000 and averaged $720 across its team.
