VENDORS penned 218 Merino and terminal sires at this year's Wagin ram sale but none expected the rampant prices of past couple of years.
Instead values and clearances eased in line with expectations and the annual event provided another chapter of resilience in the 57 years it has been going.
Most of the participating studs came from areas east of Wagin and clients in far eastern regions have been hit extra hard by dry conditions this year.
Wagin & District Stud Stock Breeders' Association president Ken Smith did his utmost to encourage buyers, conveying the good news that the day's wool sale in Fremantle jumped by a dollar.
Judging by the number of passed-in rams sold quickly during or after the sale, it may have been the words they had been waiting for.
The joint selling teams of Elders and Nutrien Livestock achieved 72.6 per cent Merino and Poll Merino clearance at a $1086 average compared with the $1361 average received last year.
A smaller yarding of 45 terminal sire breeds went under the hammer and with enthusiastic competition only two failed to sell.
Kingussie
Ken Smith and sons Troy, Lee and Shane, Kingussie stud, Dumbleyung, was easily the most enduring of the studs with the 59 Merino and 24 Poll Merino ram line-up backed by more than 35 years of selling experience that gave the sale a powerful start.
They set the first of two $2400 top prices by the time Nutrien Livestock auctioneer Peter Foley reached pen four and it was Moulyinning farmer Ricky Mott who was the buyer.
Mr Mott, a long-term Kingussie buyer, continued on to buy 10 rams in total and was ranked among the stud's 2020 volume buyers, but this year like many other of Kingussie's clients, he wanted just a few less than last year.
He bought other rams at $2000 and $1900 and paid a $1340 average for his ute load.
The top price ram was accompanied by raw test data showing 20.6 microns, 17.2 CV, 99.2 comfort factor, 111 kilograms bodyweight, 37 millimetres eye muscle depth and 5mm fat.
Another long-term buying duo in Mick and Mark Smith, Dumbleyung, bought pen eight, the second ram to fetch the top money.
The men bought four rams with their top price sheep showing 22.4 microns, 17.7 CV, 97.9CF, 117kg BW, 37mm EMD and 6mm fat.
JD & ME Smith, Dumbleyung, paid up to $2300 and bought 10 rams to be a major player also.
The first run of Merinos proved easy enough to disperse but as selling progressed it was clear buyers were operating in a vastly different market this year.
Stud spokesman Troy Smith said seasonal conditions were at play with many farmers in areas east of Wagin having water issues and talking about dropping ewe numbers.
More recently falling wool prices had influenced producers' decision to join a few more ewes to terminal sires if they didn't want to quit them altogether.
Last week 12 clients provided the support to clear 58 of their 83 rams for a $1302 average compared with 2019 when 92 rams averaged $1611.
This year Kingussie's Polls found increased favour and fetched up to $2000 paid by RG Strother, Holt Rock, and Mick & Mark Smith also found something special among the Polls and paid $1900.
Four of the five Kingussie Polls that failed to sell under the hammer were quickly snatched up after the sale to lift the overall clearance rate.
The volume buyers included Ford Farming, Williams, which bought five Polls for up to $1400 and the other major Poll buyer was Tom Pearce Moulyinning, who bought eight for up to $1300.
Wililoo
Clinton, Rick and Kurt Wise from Wililoo, Woodanilling, received solid support from a core of six clients, which included three near neighbours, whose combined efforts accounted for 22 of the 38 Merino and Poll Merino rams sold.
However, it was long-term client WF & GF Bailey from Jerramungup who bought the $2100 top price ram as he put together a line of eight Merinos.
His top price choice was the second ram in Wililoo's line-up and showed statistics of 22.4 microns, 17.7CV, 97.9CF, 113kg BW, 37mm EMD and 7mm fat.
He also bought the stud's $1900 team leader that had been the 2020 Making Smoking History Wagin Woolorama champion ram lamb that weighed in at 122 kilograms and was one of the heaviest sheep in the shed.
Lee Bessell-Browne, Naballing Estate, Woodanilling, was the main volume buyer and paid up to $1000 for a Poll but mainly stuck to a $600 budget to get nine rams.
Relative newcomers Paul and Hayden Baker, Redhill Grazing, Woodanilling, were also volume buyers, taking eight rams for up to $1600.
The stud registered a $946 average across Merinos and Polls which compared with $1191 in 2019.
Sunny View
The only locally-based vendor in the sale was Gavin and Nicole Kirk's Sunny View Poll Merino stud and with five of the seven buyers also locally based, dispersing the offering was a congenial affair.
One of the stud's long-standing clients Trevor Badger, Pingrup, bought the first two rams including one of the joint $1300 top price getters before local Peter Spooner also paid the same for lot three.
Mr Spooner also spent $1000 on another in his five-ram selection before the budget conscious swooped to clear all but five of the 35 rams at auction then proceeded to negotiate a further three rams to give Sunny View a result that held up well against the stud's 2019 achievement.
The volume buyers were Glen and Phillip Ward, Wagin, who bought 10 for up to $800 but secured most at the $600 upset price and contributed significantly to the high clearance.
Sunny View averaged $840, just $4 less than last year and Mr Kirk was pleased with the result.
He appreciated the support of repeat buyers and was also pleased to welcome one first-time buyer.
Mr Kirk said he went to the sale not expecting much especially as some of his clients were short of water, but the results had exceeded his expectations.
Kantara
There was no easier job for the auctioneers than selling the Kantara White Suffolk offering at the Wagin sale.
A total of 35 superbly presented rams went under the hammer and only four made less than $1000.
For vendors Keith Ladyman and Jill Clarke, Dumbleyung, success came via their new Ella Matta sire bought in 2018.
The ram, EM 170064, clicked in their flock and progeny stood out in the line-up, resulting in one of their best ever sales with all 35 rams selling for a $1289 average.
Ricky Mott returned to the terminal sire offering and paid the $1800 top as well as $1600 and $1400 for his team of three.
His top price ram was a May 2019 drop twin that weighed 105 kilograms in good paddock conditions and had a post weaning weight of +17.5 with a significant +2.2 eye muscle depth and fat of -0.6 combining for a 147.1 terminal carcase production index.
Jason Stone, JC & S Stone, Borden, travelled past studs closer to home to return for six rams including the $1700 second top and others at $1600 (2) and $1400; Roztine Enterprises, Gnowangerup, collected four rams including the team leader for $1400 and another at $1500 and HG Savage & Co, Kulin, also paid up to $1500 for the best of three to be among the top price payers.
Solid support from eight clients kept prices elevated from start to finish to post a $231 average increase on last year.
Mr Ladyman said they bought EM 170064 for the $6000 second top price at the Ella Matta sale in South Australia and several WA studs had used semen resulting in some outstanding progeny.
Dumbledee
The same Ladyman and Clarke partnership also presented 10 Poll Dorset rams and, again, the terminal sires achieved an increase in values.
This year RW& BM Bahr, Kukerin, paid the $1000 top price and bought two rams while a second client Dunara Farms, Wagin, bought six rams and, without anyone to push prices, collected all at the $800 upset price.
Even with minimal competition the Dumbledee team cleared all but two rams at auction and the $825 average was up from $767 achieved last year.
Mr Ladyman said they had some committed clients and they would continue to breed Poll Dorsets, but believed there would be a time when they would switch completely to the Whites.
