THE Capercup Australian Whites on-farm ram and ewe sale at Moodiarrup surpassed all expectations and blitzed last year's prices to buck the trend of ram sales across the State.
The top price ram sold for $7000, which was $5000 above last year's top, after strong competition right off the bat, setting the sale tone.
The ram, just like the previous top price last year, went to the stud's new owners Laurence and Juliette Chittleborough, Crystal Brook stud, Bridgetown, who bought the Capercup Australian Whites stud recently from stud principal Stephen Abbott.
It was the Chittleborough's only purchase during the sale, which remained strong throughout to see a total clearance of 40 rams, 48 stud ewes and 69 commercial ewes.
About 80 people attended the sale that was co-ordinated by Westcoast Wool & Livestock, with auctioneer Chris Hartley leading the team.
More than 40 were registered to bid, showing strong support for the composite breed made up of Poll Dorset, Texel, White Dorper and Van Rooy genetics.
The 17-month-old top-priced ram was the heaviest in the line-up at 83 kilograms, even though it was born a twin.
It had an eye muscle depth of 29.6mm and fat 8.9mm.
Mr Chittleborough said he was delighted to see the number of people in attendance and was pleased with the purchase of the stud, as the breed was starting to attract more attention.
"There's a lot of interest in the breed - that's why we bought it," Mr Chittleborough said.
"We only run sheep on our property and have a Poll Dorset stud at the moment which we hope to sell to focus on the Australian Whites."
The second highest priced ram sold for $3000 to Fenn Aynsley, Topmill Holdings, Beverley, who also bought one other ram for $2500.
It was the first time that Mr Aynsley, 77, had been to the sale, although he purchases a few rams each year - mainly from the Tattykeel stud at Black Springs in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, which is described as the birthplace of Australian Whites.
Mr Aynsley said due to border restrictions he wasn't able to travel interstate, so he chose the local stud instead to keep a good mix of genetics in his 1000 head commercial ewe flock.
Volume ram buyers were JR & SH O'Halloran, Kojonup, who purchased 11 rams to a top price of $2000 (twice) and an average of $1527.
Greg Recetti, Recetti Bros, Cordering, purchased four rams to a top of $2600 (twice) and an average of $2625.
Trevor Spencer, Esperance, purchased four rams towards the end of the sale for an average of $2025.
Hayden Jilley, Waroona, purchased three rams at a top price of $2800 and an average of $2500 and Simon Hamersley, Toodyay, purchased three rams paying to a $2500 high and a $2333 average.
After the rams were sold Mr Hartley led the crowd into the shearing shed where the stud ewes were grouped in pens of four or five and commercial ewes were in groups of 10 and one pen of nine.
Mr Giles was one of two volume buyers of stud ewes, purchasing 19 ewes from four pens - at a top price of $1200 and an average per head of $976.
Jason Teakle, Northampton, was the other volume buyer taking 25 stud ewes from five lots to top of $850 (twice) and an average of $780.
The commercial ewes also sold well, almost double last year's average price of $255, to $442 a head.
Mark Norris, Bridgetown Whites, Bridgetown, purchased 19 ewes for a total of $9000, with a top pen of 19 bought for $500 per head and a total average paid of $473 per head.
Murray Johnson, Galloway Springs, Bridgetown, also bought two lots totalling 20 for an average of $450.
Mr Abbott said the seventh annual Tattykeel Australian White sale on September 30 proved that there was a future for the breed as it grossed $1.76 million from 226 lots, including 26 stud rams, 75 stud ewes and 125 flock rams.
The Ardene Australian White stud, Mount Torrens, South Australia, took home the top priced Tattykeel Australian White stud ram for a record breaking $53,000.
Tattykeel stud principal Graham Gilmore told Farm Weekly it was the "best sheep sale ever in Australia".
"It was pretty amazing," Mr Gilmore said.
"The stud rams averaged $22,653.
"The flock rams averaged $5922."
Mr Gilmore said it wasn't something he would expect to happen every year but there had been a lot of work put into building the breed to this point and it was a "unique" and consistent meat product that buyers were benefiting from across the country.
Mr Abbott said his sale "surpassed what I thought in every respect".
"It's been a lot of hard work," Mr Abbott said, "but we had triple the number of registered bidders compared to last year."
While he had sold the stud Mr Abbott said he would remain working with the breed.
