STRONG buying support from local and Eastern States buyers at last week's Anderson Rams Poll Merino on-property ram sale at Kojonup ensured the Anderson family recorded another impressive sale result including a $10,400 top price and a $2437 average.
With the stud well-known for breeding plain-bodied, low-maintenance, fertile, fast-growing Poll Merinos with exceptionally high worm resistance, flystrike resistance, good carcase traits as well as fine, white wools backed with more than 15 years of MerinoSelect Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs), buyers were out in force to secure the offering.
This year's sale team of July/August-drop, paddock-raised rams had an average Dual Purpose Plus (DP+) index of 178, which is in the top 10 per cent on MerinoSelect and average Merino Production Plus (MP+) index of 162 which is in the top 20pc.
The team averages for PWT (8.4), YWT (11.9) and YFEC (-63.6) are in the top 5pc, while its averages for YFAT (1.3), YEMD (1.9) and YFDCV (-1.9) are in the top 10pc.
The strong competition from 40 registered buyers in the shed plus 34 registered bidders on AuctionsPlus logged in from Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia, ensured the Nutrien Livestock team, led by auctioneer Michael Altus, had no trouble selling the increased offering of 150 Poll Merino rams.
This year marked the first time the sale was interfaced on AuctionsPlus and it was certainly well worth it.
The sale catalogue on AuctionsPlus received 1386 views while there were 452 online bids placed which resulted in 48 rams selling to buyers operating on the platform from Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and WA, which included one from Arthur River who purchased four from the tractor while spraying.
When Mr Altus clapped down the final ram on offer, 147 or 98pc of the 150 rams offered had been sold for a total gross of $358,200 and an average of $2437.
In comparison, in last year's sale the Anderson family offered and sold 114 rams to a top of $9000, a gross of $317,000 and an average of $2781.
This meant all the important figures grew on last year with the number of rams sold up by 33 head and the gross up by $41,200, which is quite an achievement given the majority of ram sales this year have seen a reduction in the number of rams sold and gross figures.
Nutrien Livestock Kojonup agent Troy Hornby said the sale was very strong throughout and ensured the family achieved another very successful sale outcome.
"There was very strong support throughout the sale and putting the sale on AuctionsPlus to allow the stud's clients, who couldn't get to the sale due to COVID-19 to operate, was also a big success with nearly a third of the catalogue knocked down to online buyers," Mr Hornby said.
"Overall the final sale result was well above expectations with a near complete clearance of a larger offering and a very strong average and this hasn't been the case at very many sales this year.
"In terms of the presentation of rams, they are getting better and better every year while the figures on the rams are continuing to stack up for what the clients are looking for."
The tone of the sale was set early with the first 20 rams averaging $3550 but it wasn't in this section that the sale's $10,400 top-priced ram was found.
It was achieved in the second half of the catalogue when Mr Altus stood over a white woolled ram with an impressive set of numbers in pen 87.
Mr Altus took an opening bid of $2000 on the ram and from there a couple of interested buyers went into overdrive with their bidding.
It ended up being a two horse race between a buyer on AuctionsPlus and Peter Smith, PG & AL Smith, Bremer Bay.
Mr Smith was ultimately written down as the buyer at $10,400.
The twin born and raised ram displayed a good structure and a nice even crimped wool and with ASBVs to match.
It ranked in the top 1pc for YFEC (-93) and top 5pc for YWT (10.8), YFAT (1.9), YEMD (2.5), YCFW (31.3) and DP+ (187).
It also ranked in the top 10pc for PWWT (6.8), YSL (16.9), YSC (3.5) and MP+ (173).
Mr Smith, who has purchased from the stud for more than eight years, said he was chasing the ram's worm resistance.
"He has an extremely good faecal egg count which was its biggest attraction and what I was chasing," Mr Smith said.
"His actual worm egg count was zero, in one of Australia's most worm resistant flocks.
"It is not only his faecal worm egg count figure which is very good, he is very good across the board for all figures and has a good white wool."
The ram will be used in a performance bred nucleus flock on the Smith's farm to breed rams for their own use and sell into a local co-operative group.
The Smiths will this year join 2000 ewes to Poll Merino rams and 1200 Merino ewes to White Suffolk sires as part of their commercial operation.
Mr Smith said their mature ewe flock averages 18 micron and a 5.5 kilogram wool cut and they are pushing 100pc lambing all the time.
The second top price in the sale was $8600 paid for the second ram offered, when return buyers the Wiese family, RL & CM Wiese, Narrogin, had the final bid on the ram.
The Wiese family paid this value for a single born ram by A160729 which ranks in the top 1pc for PWWT (10.3), YWT (12.3), YSS (8.1), YFEC (-80), YSC (4.7) and top 5pc for YFAT (1.5), YFDCV (-2.5), YSL (20.0) and DP+ (188).
The third highest price was $5600 for a ram, which was part of a pair both sired by A170660, purchased by return buyer Nils Blumann, P & N Blumann, Gibson.
Mr Blumann's $5600 purchase ranks in the top 1pc for PWWT (10.8), YWT (13.8), YCFW (36.4), YFDCV (-2.7) and YSC (5.0), while it is in the top 5pc for YSS, YFEC, DP+ and MP+.
Mr Blumann paid $3800 for his other purchase.
There was one more ram to sell for $5000 or more when Mr Altus knocked down a triplet in pen 15 to a buyer operating on AuctionsPlus from Bruny Island, Tasmania.
The ram by A170660 ranks in the top 1pc for PWWT (9.7) and YSC (4.8).
Other buyers to pay money at the top end included long-term, return buyers Marcus and Shannon Sounness, Paper Collar Grazing Co, Amelup, who purchased four rams to a top of $4200 and an average of $2700.
Mr Sounness said they have continued to buy at Andersons because the rams have good, balanced figures.
"They are also highly fertile and the lambs grow well," Mr Sounness said.
"Last year we joined 6000 ewes to Anderson Poll Merino rams and White Suffolk sires and achieved a 102pc lambing overall.
"They are very productive, dual-purpose sheep."
This year the family will join 4000 ewes to Poll Merinos and 1000 ewes to White Suffolk rams.
Mr Sounness said their numbers would be slightly down on past years due to the season and also because they would be getting rid of some older ewes so they could have a younger flock going forward.
Other buyers in the shed who weren't afraid to bid up were Bakaara Farming, Esperance, which averaged $2900 over a team of four that topped at $3600, while local Kojonup buyer Benachie Pty Ltd, secured a team of eight at an average of $2225 and a top of $3400 and Stretch Enterprises, Kojonup, purchased six sires to a top of $3200 and an average of $2000.
Some online buyers were also unafraid to chase hard the rams they wanted.
A Dandaragan buyer averaged $3667 over a team of six which topped at $4000 on three occasions and a buyer based at Mansfield, Victoria, averaged $3067 over a team of six which topped at $4200.
Return Victorian buyers the Macgugan family, Kanawalla Pastoral Co, Hensley Park, TR & RC Rokebrand, Edenhope and T & R Currie, Warrok, who have attended past sales, this year operated through AuctionsPlus and picked up teams of seven, five and five at averages of $2829, $2600 and $2640 respectively.
The biggest buyers in the sale this year with a team of 10 rams each were return buyers John and Jack South, Knack Pty Ltd, Darkan and Rory Blandford, PB, RB & SC Blandford, Meerlieu, Victoria, who wasn't able to attend this year due to COVID -19 and had to operate through AuctionsPlus.
The Souths, who were in and out of the sale quickly because they were shearing on the day, averaged $2180 over their team and said they like the Anderson sheep for their plain bodies and good fertility.
Mr Blandford, who has been buying from the stud for seven years and normally attends the sales, averaged $2560 for his team which topped at $3600.
