RETURN buyers and a handful of new ones were out in force at this year's East Strathglen on-property Merino and Poll Merino ram sale at Tambellup ready to buy, pushing prices to a high of $9000.
Like always, the 40 registered buyers were chasing the rams on offer from the Sprigg family which are well-known for their white wools and heavy cutting abilities and from the outset they showed they were prepared to pay for the rams they really wanted.
There was solid buying support throughout the catalogue from not only locally-based buyers, but also from as far away as Northampton and it was only right at the end of the sale that Nutrien Livestock auctioneer Neil Brindley had trouble finding bids as buying orders became full.
When the final ram from the 170 head offering was knocked and the figures crunched, 161 rams had found new homes with 35 buyers purchasing them at an average of $2058, which was back $787 on last year.
In last year's sale, when seasonal and market conditions were much better, the stud offered 174 rams and sold 170 rams for an impressive average of $2845, which was the best for a single vendor Merino sale in the State.
In the breakdown the stud sold 129 Merinos from 132 offered at a $2030 average (back $733 on last year) while 32 Poll Merinos sold from 38 offered at a higher average of $2170 (back $1094).
Nutrien Livestock Breeding representative Mitchell Crosby said it was a quality offering of Merino and Poll Merino rams showing all the traits East Strathglen sheep were renowned for.
"It was a very good solid and consistent sale throughout in terms of the prices," Mr Crosby said.
"The final result followed the trend of other sales this year, with the average back on 2019 on the back of buyers requiring less rams due to reduced ewes numbers and with the borders closed there was no Eastern States interest on the top end of the catalogue, like we have seen in the past few years."
Once again the front end of the sale was strong and set up the positive result for the stud, with the first 52 March shorn rams offered selling to a $3366 average and it was in this part of the sale where the $9000 top-priced ram was catalogued.
It didn't take long for the $9000 top price to be recorded when Mr Brindley stood over a long, deep-bodied ram in pen four.
After taking an initial bid of $2500 on the ram Mr Brindley and his clerks were inundated with bids with interested buyers and from here the price quickly rose.
Eventually after some spirited bidding the stylish woolled ram was knocked down by Mr Brindley to Bruce Jackson, BJ Jackson, Collie, who has previously bought one ram from the stud.
Mr Jackson said the ram stood out in the line-up due to its great make and shape.
"He has a magnificent frame and is well-structured," Mr Jackson said.
"He also has superb wool quality, it is a lustrous, bright, white wool."
The ram, which carries East Strathglen Mundy bloodlines, has wool test figures of 18.1 micron, 2.7 SD, 14.9 CV and 99.8 per cent comfort factor (CF).
Mr Jackson will use the ram this joining season in his nucleus flock of 300 ewes to breed rams for his own use.
He annually joins 1800 ewes to Merino rams and another 700 Merino ewes to Poll Dorset sires.
The second top price of the sale was recorded when a stylish woolled ram in lot three was knocked down by Mr Brindley at $7250 to long-term clients Norman and Jed Herbert, ND Herbert & Co, Tambellup.
Jed Herbert said they were chasing the ET-bred ram's good genetic lines.
"He has good breeding behind him, so we are hoping we will be able to breed some top rams for our own use," Mr Herbert said.
"He stands up well and has a very good wool, which was important to us."
The ram is by East Strathglen Mundy and out of East Strathglen 595.
On the wool front it measures 19.2 micron, 2.8 SD, 14.6 CV and 99.7pc CF.
The ram will join part of the operation's sire battery that is used in a nucleus flock of ewes to breed rams for their own use.
Jed said they normally joined about 3500 ewes annually to Merinos but this year their numbers would be back to about 2300 due to the season which has seen them cart water for long periods.
The third highest price in the sale and the top price for a Poll Merino sire was $6750 which was bid by return buyers of 40 years Ben and James Fairclough, BJ & SM Fairclough, Quairading, for a deep-bodied, square March shorn Poll ram showing plenty of wool cutting ability.
Ben Fairclough said they were impressed by both the ram's size and wool traits.
"He has a good, old fashioned, soft, strong wool on a good frame," Mr Fairclough said.
"He has plenty of size and a good spring of rib.
"We like the East Strathglen genetics because they perform not matter what the conditions.
"They keep growing and keep growing plenty of wool in all conditions."
The Faircloughs will use the ram in their nucleus flock of 100 ewes to breed rams for their own use.
Their entire flock, which includes 1000 breeding ewes, averages 20 micron and a six kilogram wool cut.
The second top price in the Poll offering was $4500 for a long-bodied, well-covered ram when it was knocked down to return buyers of more than 30 years the Box family, G & M Box, Northampton
Lindsay Box said they liked the ram's stylish, lustrous wool and big frame.
"We were also chasing his Trump bloodline and we will use him in a nucleus flock to breed rams for our own use," Mr Box said.
There were a number of other buyers to bid up strongly early in the sale and they included the Cristinelli family, Cristinelli Grazing Co, Tambellup, which averaged $5117 over a team of three Merinos which topped at $6000 for a 20.3 micron sire, while SM Higgins & Co, Pingelly, purchased a Merino and a Poll at a $4500 average and to a top of $5750, LT Toovey & Sons, Cranbrook, paid $5500 for a Merino and GM & TL McLennan, Pingelly, secured two Merinos to a top of $5250 and a $4500 average.
Another strong supporter of the sale at the top end was the Morey family, Connamara Grazing, Bokerup, who have been buying from the Sprigg families for 40 years.
They ended the sale with a team of six Merinos and two Polls to a top of $4500 and an average of $2975 which will join the operation's sire battery that will be mated to 3000 ewes this year.
Bill Morey said they continued to purchase from East Strathglen because they bred sheep for the high rainfall areas.
"The East Strathglen sheep have good white wools and stand up well in our wetter environment," Mr Morey said.
"Our wool always sells well and tops the market, while we don't have a problem selling our surplus sheep."
The Morey's sheep flock averages 19 micron while their cut is more than 6kg.
The volume buyers in the sale were KR & DH O'Keefe, Gnowangerup, which purchased 14 sires to a $4000 top and average of $2536 and Ian Douglas & Co, Woodanilling, which averaged $1779 across a team of 14 that topped at $3200.
There were also another four buyers to put together double figure teams - Kennedy and Peter Hogg, G Bruce & NK Hogg & Son, Williams, averaged $2342 across 13 head and Subasio Downs, Pingelly, purchased 12 head at a $1358 average, while FI Neil & Co collected 12 head, all at $600 and PL & DM Horrocks, Pingelly, secured 10 head for a $1710 average.