IT is always a good sign when there is a struggle to fit the number of buyers registered into the stands and that is what happened at the Stockdale White Suffolk and Poll Dorset studs annual on-property sale at York.
In what has been touted as a tough year for many season wise and with a huge reduction in sheep numbers - Stockdale's results proved genetics are always a worthwhile investment.
Achieving complete clearance on their White Suffolk offering (one selling immediately post auction), and both of their stud Poll Dorset rams reaching the sale's top prices, it was no wonder their overall sale average also rose by more than $100 from the previous year to be a very healthy $1213 across both breeds.
Nutrien Livestock, York, Beverley and Quairading agent Denis Warnick said the overall positive sale results were a direct indication of the confidence clients have in the Stockdale genetics.
"The high standard of breeding was reflected in the consistent price of the rams from start to finish," Mr Warnick said.
Nutrien Livestock Breeding representative Roy Addis said there was good competition in the stud and flock sections of both breeds in the catalogue, which just ebbed slightly right at the end.
"It was a quality line-up of White Suffolk rams and the 100 per cent clearance reflected the offering," Mr Addis said.
"The sires are suitable for prime lamb production, carrying good raw data figures.
"While the line-up of Poll Dorsets also represented excellent quality, they just lacked the buyer support towards the end of the catalogue."
This year all four stud offerings sold under the hammer and all four to the same buyer, Tim Stevenson, KD Genetics, Jolma stud, Cunderdin.
Westcoast Wool & Livestock York and surrounds agent Mark Fairclough bid on behalf of Mr Stevenson who arrived towards the end of the sale.
Mr Stevenson said he was confident in the genetics of the four stud rams from both the White Suffolk and Poll Dorset breeds.
"I knew the sires of the rams and know their breeding," Mr Stevenson said.
"The Stockdale rams are 'what you see is what you get'.
"They will be utilised as new bloodlines within our Jolma stud and are bred for our conditions."
The top-priced Poll Dorset rams sold to $5100 which was $2100 above last year's top.
The ram weighed in at 122 kilograms and at scanning earlier in the month had raw data figures consisting of eye muscle depth (EMD) of 43.5 millimetres and 4.6mm fat and was sired by Gloroy 628-13.
The second top-priced Poll Dorset stud ram made $4900, also up from the previous sale's Poll Dorset top price by $1800, and it was also sired by Gloroy 628-13 and weighed in at 122.5kg with 43.5mm EMD and 4.6mm fat.
Mr Stevenson also purchased the two White Suffolk stud sires for $3000 each, the first lot to go under the hammer was sired by Pioneer 3-13 and was 116kg with 44.5mm EMD and 4.7mm fat.
The second White Suffolk stud to sell to the $3000 top for the breed was sired by Anden 45-17 and tipped the scales at 113kg with 44mm EMD and 4.2mm fat.
There was one lot in the White Suffolk flock offering that attracted stud interest and was passed in under the hammer, only to be sold immediately post auction for $2500.
The ram was penned at lot 60, he weighed 96kg, with 39mm EMD and 2.4mm fat and went to Denham Carter, Mindaree Grazing, Ridgetop stud, Mt Barker, who did not attend the sale but negotiated via phone.
The Fairclough family has built a strong rapport with their regular clients who always feature strongly throughout the catalogue, however this year it was new clients who took home the highest volume on the day from the 116 White Suffolk flock rams and 40 Poll Dorset flock rams presented for sale.
Patricia Paull and Matt McCaw, PG Cook, Morangup, purchased a total of 25 sires for an overall average of $1092.
Their preference was definitively for the White Suffolk breed, purchasing a total of 21 for an average of $1138, with their balance being four Poll Dorsets for an $850 average.
Ms Paull said they had viewed the Stockdale sheep prior to the sale, so knew what they were after.
"We like the White Suffolk breed as they are clean around the points," Ms Paull said.
"We mate 8000 Merino ewes.
"5000 of these are mated to crossbreds, with the balance mated to Merinos for replacements.
"We like that Stockdale is local and bred for our conditions.
"We like the depth and length of their White Suffolk sires and will breed good, early-maturing terminal lambs."
Mr McCaw said they had purchased the Poll Dorsets because they had the opportunity and thought they would try them out.
The top price in the White Suffolk flock ram offering was $1600 and was achieved four times in the catalogue, up by $100 from last year's top with the average of $1143 also being up by almost $100.
Three of the $1600 White Suffolk rams were purchased by Toby Blechynden and father Mark, BED Blechynden & Sons, Pingelly, who purchased a total of four White Suffolks for an average price of $1525.
The three they purchased to the $1600 top were in lots three, five and six, with the rams exhibiting raw data of 113kg, 41mm EMD, 3.5mm fat, on lot three, 120kg, 42.5mm EMD, 3.4mm fat, on lot five and 121kg, 44mm EMD and 3.4mm fat on lot six.
Toby Blechynden said they purchased from Stockdale for the first time in 2019 and liked their ability to turn off lambs from the bloodline early.
"We are really happy with last year's purchases, we have turned off a lot of lambs already," Mr Blechynden said.
"We were looking for rams with the higher figures today, those with good muscling, structure and overall good bodies.
"The White Suffolks have nice clean faces and are nice and bare here (at Stockdale).
"They breed square sheep with good fat."
The fourth $1600 White Suffolk flock ram was lot 16 in the catalogue, it weighed 106kg, with 44mm EMD and 4.7mm fat and sold to GW & E Anderson, Quairading, who purchased a further three White Suffolks for an average of $1475 overall.
The top priced ram within the Poll Dorset flock ram offering of 40 rams went to a high of $1500, up by $300 from 2019, with the Poll Dorset flock ram average of $1113 also up by $160.
The $1500 top priced ram was purchased by Elders livestock area manager Avon Valley, Lynton Saunders, on behalf of Justin Martin, PJ & AP Martin, Northam.
Mr Saunders said Mr Martin had purchased a stud sire from Stockdale about three years ago to use within his nucleus flock.
"He breeds his own rams," Mr Saunders said.
"He likes the Stockdale genetics and has had really good results from them.
"He wants to further improve his flock and was chasing the top lines.
"He was unfortunately unsuccessful as underbidder on the two stud Poll Dorsets, but was able to secure this very good ram from the catalogue."
The sire weighed 113kg, had 41.5mm EMD and 3.9mm fat and was Mr Martin's sole purchase at the sale.
The volume buyers were plentiful in the White Suffolk offering, with Kim Stone, Mt Bebb Farms, Shackleton, taking home 15 sires to a top of $1200 twice and an average of $1020.
The Luelf family, Falconhurst Grazing, being regular volume clients, again purchased 12 White Suffolks to a top of $1200, four times, for an average of $1083.
Another local regular, volume client in GW Boyle & Co, York, took home 10 rams to a top of $1400, twice, for an average of $1180.
Within the Poll Dorset offering the volume buyer was Kalmer Pastoral, Beverley, purchasing six rams to a $1400 top, four times, for an average of $1367.
DB & JT Sims & Co, Beverley, also purchased six Poll Dorset' to a top of $1000, four times and an average of $933 average.
Draper Farms, York, purchased four Poll Dorset sires to a top of $1300, twice, and an average of $1050.
