BUYERS generally saved their best bids until last at this year's Darkan and Districts Stud Breeders' Association ram sale, with Suffolk, White Suffolk, Border Leicester and Poll Dorset sires on offer.
Although the top price of $2000 was achieved last week by the first two lots of the day - Suffolk sires and equal to last year's top - the best average price of $1026 and best average increase of $56 was achieved by the final Poll Dorset penning of the day.
Three of the five participating studs sold all of their White Suffolk and Poll Dorset offerings and three - offering Suffolk, White Suffolk and Poll Dorset rams - improved their average prices for the sale compared to last year.
But overall, with four fewer rams offered this year at 89 in total and five fewer sold, at 84 in total, the gross return from the sale slipped $5850 to $72,950 and the average return per ram was $17 down on last year at $868.
The top Suffolk and Border Leicester rams equalled last year's best prices, but the best Poll Dorset price was down $200 on last year and the best White Suffolk price was down $100.
As usual, Poll Dorsets from two local studs were the most abundant breed on offer, with Westcoast Wool & Livestock and Nutrien Ag Solutions sharing auctioneering duties for those.
Westcoast Wool & Livestock auctioned the other breeds.
Its auctioneer Steve Harris was happy with the result.
"I think it was a great sale, I think the rams presented were some of the best I've seen this season and they were a credit to the vendors," Mr Harris said.
"Right the way through the catalogue they sold really well."
The sale attracted a total of 36 registered bidders, six more than last year.
Suffolk
Alison and Mat Mitsopoulos, Kalinda stud, Boyanup, sold 17 of the 18 Suffolk rams they offered at auction at an average price of $926 for a sale gross of $15,750.
With three fewer rams sold than last year, their gross for last week was down, but with two of their rams achieving the same top price as last year, their sale average price was up by $6.
Their first two rams each sold for an equal top price of $2000 to repeat Suffolk stud breeder clients Stuart Graham, Black Stump Suffolks, Hyden and Lorraine Park, Glen Lyon Suffolks, Moodiarrup.
They were the only rams Mr Graham and Ms Park bought on the day.
The early August 2019-born lot one ram had Australian Sheep Breeding Values of 8.8 weaning weight (WWT), 13.6 post weaning weight (PWWT), -0.7 post weaning fat (PFAT), 0.5 post weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD) and 133.8 total carcass production (TCP) index.
Still driving towards Darkan from 50 kilometres east of Hyden when the sale was about to start, Mr Graham phoned instructions ahead and one of the Nutrien livestock team made the winning bid on his behalf on the first lot of the day.
"We've bought from Kalinda before as sires for our stud and they produce a good body and a good length for us to sell on to our clients," Mr Graham said a short time later when he arrived.
"It's money well spent as far as we are concerned," he said.
"We mate 100 Suffolks and we've got other breeds - we maintain three studs out there (Hyden)."
The late June 2019-born lot two ram bought by Ms Park had ASBVs of 7.8 WWT, 12.2 PWWT, -0.4 PFAT, 0.5 PEMD and a 128.3 index.
"I liked his Lambplan figures, I also liked his clean body, his nice head and the way he stood on his feet," Ms Park said.
"All in all, I think he'll be very purposeful over the ewes we have at home.
"We have a flock of 150 ewes, but he won't get all of those."
Westcoast Wool & Livestock representative Mat Lowe, bidding on behalf of Glenkeith Grazing, Kojonup, bought eight rams at $700 each as the volume Suffolk buyer.
Bidding on behalf of Roemarie Enterprises, Cordering, Geoff Hosking claimed five to a top of $850 at an average of $760.
Mr Hosking for Roemarie Enterprises was Kalinda's volume buyer at last year's sale and, like last year, he also bought White Suffolks last week.
The second top-priced Kalinda ram at $1500 went to The Darke Family Trust, Boyup Brook, the only ram the trust bought at the sale.
White Suffolk
Nick and Jenny Hosking, Paringa Park stud, Duranillin, sold all 20 White Suffolk rams they offered - the same clearance as last year, but for a better result last week.
Their sale average was up $17 to $935, lifting their overall gross to $18,700 and while their best price of $1200 was down $100 on last year, they sold three rams last week at that price.
Westcoast Wool & Livestock representative Brenton Tynan made the winning bids on all three equal top-priced White Suffolk rams, buying early June 2019-born lots 23 and 25 on behalf of long-term Paringa Park clients CJ's Shearing Services, Boyup Brook.
Mt Tynan had also bought the top-priced Paringa Park ram at last year's sale for CJ's Shearing Services which has been buying the bloodline for more than 10 years.
The 116 kilogram lot 23 ram had a 47kg actual WWT, 46 millimetres actual EMD and 7.5mm fat cover, while the 117kg lot 25 ram had a 49kg WWT and identical EMD and fat measurements.
The third equal top-priced White Suffolk ram, lot 24, was purchased by Mr Tynan for Woodenbillip Trust, Boyup Brook, which also purchased one of four second top-priced White Suffolk rams at $1000.
The late June 2019-born 114kg lot 24 ram had a 53kg WWT, 40mm EMD and 5.5mm fat.
Roemarie Enterprises, through Mr Hosking, took two of the $1000 rams and was the volume White Suffolk buyer with a total of seven Paringa Park rams at an average of $900 to add to the five Kalinda Suffolk rams bought earlier.
"We've been buying White Suffolks off Paringa Park for quite a few years - five or six at least - and Suffolks off Kalinda," Mr Hosking said.
"We're mating about 4500 ewes this year so we need the rams," he said.
The fourth $1000 White Suffolk ram, along with a second at $900, went to GW & E Holmes, Bokal, with Mr Lowe bidding.
Repeat buyers NO & R Sprigg, Boyup Brook, bought six to a top of $950 at an average of $850.
Border Leicester
Wendy Cochrane and Rob Ivey from Moss Hill Farm Border Leicesters, Balingup, offered 10 sires - four more than last year - and sold eight, also four more than last year.
As a result, their gross almost doubled to $6100, but with a sale average down $37 to $763 and two rams making the same top price as last year at $800.
Both top-priced rams last week were bought by Edmund Rice Agricultural College, Bindoon, a repeat Moss Hill client.
The July 2019-born 99 and 103kg top-priced rams had Border Leicester cross indexes of 118 and 125 and maternal dollar indexes of 132 and 137.
CA & PE Norton, Albany, was the volume Border Leicester buyer, taking five at $750 each.
Poll Dorset
As in previous years, Poll Dorsets comprised the biggest total penning by breed at the association sale, with Des and Ellen Gooding's Spring Valley Poll Dorsets, Darkan and Roy and Denise Gooding's Denroy Poll Dorsets, Darkan, clearing all 39 rams offered at a combined average price of $831, down $32 on last year.
Westcoast Wool & Livestock's Steve Harris auctioned 24 Spring Valley rams - one less than last year - for a gross return of $17,000 at an average price of $708, down $70 on last year.
With Mr Lowe bidding, regular buyer IG & BM Woodruff, Darkan, paid the top price of $800 realised by Spring Valley, for two of three rams purchased.
The lot 53 and 54 top-priced rams had ASBVs of 11.6 and 11.5 WWT, 17.8 and 17.0 PWWT, -0.8 and -0.1 PFAT, 1.3 and 1.2 PEMD and CarcasePlus indexes of 208.7 and 204.6.
Repeat client Adrian South, AD South & Co, Cordering, was again a volume buyer, taking eight Spring Valley sires at $700 each.
"We've been buying Spring Valley rams for, I guess, 25 years now, they're good value, good quality rams," Mr South said.
"They're proven performers in the paddock and that's what we're after."
Mr South said he was mating commercial flocks of about 2000 Merino ewes to Poll Dorset rams
WP & ST Duffield, Darkan, also purchased eight Spring Valley rams at $700 each and breeders' association sale regular Telfer Farms, Darkan, bought five at $700.
The final penning, auctioned by Nutrien's Peter Foley, saw Denroy's 15 rams sold for the best prices of the day and to good competition for a gross of $15,400 at an average of $1027, up $57 on last year.
Repeat client TE & RM Quill, Darkan, returned for four rams last week at an average of $1100, including one of two equal top-priced rams at $1300.
That ram had ASBVs of 18.13 PWWT, 0.43 PFAT, 2.27 PEMD and an index score of 143.84.
Another repeat client Telfer Farms, Darkan, grabbed the other equal top-priced ram, one of two purchased.
That ram had ASBVs of 20.27 PWWT, -0.47 PFAT, 2.40 PEMD and an index score of 146.14.
Campbell Curnow Partnership, Darkan, bought three rams to a top of $1100 at an average of $1000 and Polynesia Holdings also bought three to a top of $1000 twice at an average of $966.
