A TOP line-up of productive Poll Merino rams met with strong buying support from a long list of old and new clients at the Claypans on-property ram sale at Corrigin earlier this month, pushing prices to a sale high $3600.
Despite the wintery conditions outside the shed, buyers weren't afraid to pull their hands out their pockets and bid up on the even offering of 161 quality Poll Merino rams, ensuring a very solid sale for the Bolt family.
Right through the catalogue buyers from as far away as Ravensthorpe, bid strongly on the rams, which best suited their requirements, after experiencing a much better season and all the Elders auctioneering team led by auctioneer Steele Hathway had to do was add up the bids.
By the end of the sale the Elders selling team had cleared 134 of the 161 rams offered under the hammer to 23 buyers for an average of $1829, which was up $311 on last year's sale when seasonal conditions in the area were against buyers.
In last year's sale the stud offered 161 rams and sold 151 under the hammer for an average of $1518.
Mr Hathway said it was an extremely even line-up of Poll Merino rams which were well grown and well covered in quality wools.
"The offering was well supported by an enthusiastic buying audience made up of a large number of repeat buyers and a couple of new faces which was great to see," Mr Hathway said.
"There was good competition from buyers right through the sale and this ensured it was a very solid sale for the stud.
"It was great to see the average lift on last year, on the back of a better season and the strong livestock markets."
The sale got off to a flying start with the first 10 rams sold averaging $3130 and it was in these pens that the day's $3600 top price ram was located.
When Mr Hathway stood over a ram with plenty of depth and width in lot nine, a number of buyers jumped in on the action and raised their hands.
Eventually after some quick fire bidding it was return buyer of more than 10 years, Lindsay Johnson, EP Johnson & Co, Wagin, who was written down in the clerking sheets as the buyer.
Mr Johnson said he was impressed by the staple length and whiteness of the rams wool.
"He is a good all round," Mr Johnson said.
"I like the Claypans bloodline as the sheep are good doers, have a good spring of rib and good depth of body."
The upstanding ram was sired by Claypans 1 and had current wool tests of 19.1 micron, 3.6 SD, 17.5 CV and 99.5 per cent comfort factor (CF).
Mr Johnson will use the ram in his nucleus flock of 200 ewes to breed rams for his own use.
The family this year is set to join 1600 ewes to Poll Merino sires for a late April lambing.
Along with securing the top-priced ram, Mr Johnson also purchased two other sires at $3100 and $2800 to go home with three on the ute at an average of $3167.
The second top price in the sale was $3500 for a big, square ram measuring 21.1 micron, 3.4 SD, 16.1 CV and 99.3pc CF in the wool penned in lot 11.
It was purchased by an undisclosed returning Wheatbelt client which was buying from the stud for just the fourth time.
The Wheatbelt operation also purchased another six rams during the sale, finishing with seven at an average of $2814.
Also included in the team were two rams at $3400 which measured 20.1 micron and 99.8pc CF and 22.8 micron and 96.9pc CF.
The most influential and biggest buyers were brothers-in-law Reece Laycock and Chay Copeland, Quairading Service Contractors, Ravensthorpe.
Together they worked their way through the catalogue and secured 18 rams at an average of $1661.
They paid a top of $3400 for an upstanding, big-boned ram which measured 20.3 micron, 3.2 SD, 15.8 CV and 99.8pc CF in the wool.
On the back of another better season in the Ravensthorpe area, they are looking to join 3500 ewes to Merinos.
Mr Laycock said they were slowly rebuilding their numbers after two very dry years in 2018 and 2019.
"We dropped down to 2500 ewes because of the dry seasons, but this year it has been exceptionally good for sheep," Mr Laycock said.
The Laycock's older sheep average 20 to 21 micron with a seven kilogram cut depending on the season.
"We like using the Claypans genetics as they do well in our area," Mr Laycock said.
"We have been buying from the stud from when it first started.
"They are good heavy cutters, have good style in the wool and are good doers."
There were a number of other repeat buyers to purchase strongly at the top end of the sale, including WT & MC Hurst & Co, Boyanup and Nyabing and AL & S Crossland, Corrigin.
The Crosslands averaged $2380 across a team of five which topped at $3100, while the Hursts averaged $2120 over a team of 10 that topped at $3200.
Also averaging more than $2500 for teams of five rams or more were P & SR Negri, Corrigin, securing seven rams to a top of $2800 and average of $2071, while JA & KJ Bell, Corrigin, finished with five at an average of $2020 and to a top of $2800.
Return buyer of six years Kelvin Kent, KK & LD Kent, Bodallin, with the support of Elders Esperance agent Michael Forward, also supported the sale strongly throughout, purchasing a team of eight rams to a high of $2800 and an average of $1950.
Mr Kent said they have come back to buy from Claypans because they like the size and wool quality of the stud's sheep.
"They perform well in our eastern Wheatbelt conditions," Mr Kent said.
The Kents have only been back using Poll Merino rams in their ewe flock for the past six years after moving away from Dohne and Prime SAMMs.
"We went into Prime SAMMs and Dohnes when the wool market dropped 16 years ago and used them for 10 years but we have made the switch back to Merinos and now everything is joined to Poll Merino rams," Mr Kent said.
This year the Kents are looking to join 2000 ewes to Poll Merino rams for an April lambing.
Their aim is to sell their wether lambs as quickly as possible and in the past three to four years they have been sold by the end of September at 38 to 40kg liveweight to an Eastern States' buyer.
In mid-August this year they sold their wether lambs, sired by Poll Merino rams and out of Prime SAMM/Dohne ewes, at an average 47kg liveweight and their pure Merinos aren't far away from leaving the farm either.
Along with Quairading Service Contractors and the Hursts, there were another two buyers to secure double figure teams and they were the Poultney family, Poultney Grazing, Corrigin and the Sedgwick family, DE Sedgwick & Co, Babakin.
The Poultneys, who have been buying from the stud for eight years, averaged $1990 across a team of 10 which topped at $2600 three times.
Buyer Craig Poultney said they liked the Claypans bloodline as it fitted their requirements.
"They have good wools on good frames," Mr Poultney said.
The Sedgwicks, who have been buying from the stud since 1983, finished with a team of 11 at an average of $1036 and a top of $1700.
Shane Sedgwick said they had continued to return and buy from the stud over such a long period because they liked the fact the sheep were raised in the same conditions as where they farm.
"They have always performed for us," Mr Sedgwick said.
"They have both good wools and good constitution."
The Sedgwick this year are looking to join 1400 ewes to Poll Merino rams and another 800 Merino ewes to White Suffolk sires for lambing which starts in early April.
Other strong supporters of the sale were HB Anderson & Son, Shackleton, averaging $1788 across eight rams that topped at $3300, while JP & SJ Rose, Mt Hampton, secured eight rams at a $1563 average and RD & SM Crombie, Corrigin, purchased seven at an $1800 average.
