THE Lefroy family celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Cranmore stud's annual on-property ram sale at Walebing with a highly successful result.
Loyal long-time annual clients joined with some returning buyers and new faces to compete strongly on their selections through to the 200th and final lot to seal a 97 per cent clearance at strong commercial values.
This bucked the trend at many ram sales this selling season where clearances have been particularly impacted, especially given the Lefroy family maintained its ram numbers from recent years, despite the current seasonal and market challenges faced by sheep producers.
Now in its 112th year of Merino breeding, the Lefroy family and the Cranmore team presented an outstanding, even catalogue of extensively measured, well grown and white stylish woolled Merino and Poll Merino rams.
The register of 33 buyers descended from as far north as Geraldton, south to Ravensthorpe and west to Jurien Bay, joining strong local support from the Moora and Central Midlands areas.
At the end of selling, the Nutrien Livestock team led by auctioneer Grant Lupton, Nutrien Livestock Wongan Hills, cleared 194 rams and grossed $315,000 at an overall average of $1624.
A couple of absent buyers from previous years and some reduced requirements among some of its clients, opened the door for a number of buyers to top up their ram numbers at good values.
This resulted in the sale's overall average being back $131 on last year's sale where 198 of 200 rams sold under the hammer to average $1755.
In the breakdown there was a total clearance of 112 Merino rams at an improved average of $1588, up $68 on last year where 126 of 128 rams sold at auction to average $1520.
This year's larger offering of 88 Poll Merino rams saw 82 rams (93pc) sell for an average of $1624, back $494 compared to last year's sale where all 72 rams sold under the hammer at an average of $1624.
Mr Lupton said it was a great result for the Lefroy family.
"There was plenty of competition and the sale didn't drop away with buyers still bidding beyond $2000 in the final 10 rams of the sale," Mr Lupton said.
"There was plenty of selection and information on the rams for buyers who are responding strongly to the ASBVs and figures available on the rams which the Lefroy family has been working hard on for the past 15 years."
Don and Matt McKinley, DT & M McKinley, Moora, consistently operate at the top-end of the market for their Cranmore Poll Merino selections and this year was no exception.
The McKinleys finished the sale with a team of seven Poll rams at a healthy average of $3429 and paid more than $4000 for three rams including the sale's $4700 top and $4600 second top prices.
Their top bid was placed for the 96kg Cranmore 17126 son penned in lot 38.
It displayed September wool tests of 20.3 micron, 15.3 CV, 3.3kg greasy fleece weight (GFW) from its mid-April shearing and scanned 33mm eye muscle depth (EMD) and 3.7mm fat depth (FD) on June 26 with ASBVs of 151.73 MP +, 158.80 DP +, 16.68 YCFW, -0.13 YFD, 9.54 YWT (top 20pc of industry), 0.24 YEMD and 0.32 YFAT.
The sale's second top price was paid for a Cranmore 152110 son in lot four.
The 95.5kg ram measured 19.4 micron, 15.5 CV, 3.6kg GFW, 33.5mm EMD and 3.9mm FD with ASBVs of 155.36 MP +, 158.97 DP +, 16.74 YCFW, -0.2 YFD, 10.22 YWT (top 10pc) and 0.0 YEMD and YFAT.
The rams will join the McKinley's sire battery for their self-replacing commercial Merino ewe flock which is run in conjunction with the family's Moore Park Poll Dorset stud.
Cast for age and surplus young Merino ewes are joined to Moore Park rams where they retain a number of F1 ewes and join back to Poll Dorset rams to produce an F2 prime lamb.
Since moving away from breeding their own Cranmore blood flock rams, Don McKinley has been buying rams at the Cranmore sale for the past 15 years.
He said they look for a well-balanced animal with good figures.
"Our background is in meat sheep, we look for more dual purpose types with higher meat value and good wool," Mr McKinley said.
"In their figures we are basically looking for above average data for continued improvement in our own production traits."
Long-time buyers since 1986 the Humphry family, 'Pankee', GM Humphry & Co, Walebing, built a team of 15 rams (eight horned and seven Poll), paying from $900 through to the sale's $4000 top Merino ram price.
Michael Humphry blew the competition away with a $4000 opening bid on the sale's highest ranking ram in lot 45.
The 100kg ram from a Woodyarrup family sire 140149 ranked in the industry's top 1pc for both indexes 199.55 MP + and 198.29 DP + and YCFW 44.79 and the top 5pc for YWT 11.47 with wool tests of 21.6 micron, 14.8 CV and 4.8kg GFW and scanned 33mm EMD and 3.7mm FD.
Mr Humphry said despite some looming water and feed challenges, the family's flock numbers were stable and they planned to mate 4000 ewes in the coming joining.
"We have lowered our stocking rate by expanding but the way it's looking it's going to be a very long summer," Mr Humphry said.
He said Merinos were well placed in the market given they were a combination of meat and wool.
"Cranmore Merinos are the most efficient sheep," he said.
"This allows us to run higher stocking rates and we can have it both ways, wethers for export and a good wool clip.
"Sheep meat prices are sound enough and wool prices are above the cost of production and can go up as much as it likes."
The sale's most influential buyer was regular volume client Jodi Duncan, AD & SE Duncan, Ravensthorpe, who amassed a team of 22 rams at auction (12 Merino and 10 Poll), paying from $800 to $3100.
Ms Duncan said she looked for easy care rams in her selections with good carcase characteristics, growth and fleece weights.
She said they had dropped their ewe numbers by 700 with the past couple of dry years, but they were looking to possibly join some ewe lambs and increase their January ewe mating numbers to 3500.
Ms Duncan said their season was ticking along OK but like so many producers, was hoping for a finishing rain.
There were several other buyers who built significant teams of rams at the sale again at this year's sale.
G & Y Roberts, Dandaragan, collected a team of 14 rams (nine Poll and five horned) costing from $800 to $2000, Ranfurly Agriculture, Moora, was one ram shy with 13 rams (nine horned and four poll) paying from $800 to $2600 and Yolander Holdings, Kojonup, bid from $1200 to $2000 for their 12 rams (nine horned and three Poll) loaded onto the truck for the long journey home.
Finishing the sale with a team of nine rams each were SW Richards & Co, Jurien Bay, $900 to $2800, Kenilworth Agriculture, Moora, $700 to $2000 and Annadale Pty Ltd, Moora, $700 to $1300, while Kayanaba Grazing Co, Dandaragan, Wong Wong Pastoral Company, Watheroo, FA & WE Powell, Pingelly and R & A Humphry, 'Roundhill', Moora, secured seven rams each.
