IT was always going to be hard to emulate last year's red hot sale at this year's Rabobank WA Sheep Expo & Ram Sale at Katanning, however when numbers were crunched this year's sale wasn't far off the pace.
With strong and consistent bidding from local and Eastern States' buyers right through the catalogue, prices were pushes to a sale high $31,000 for a classy March shorn Poll Merino ram from the Bolt family's Claypans stud, Corrigin, while the average again surpassed the five-figure mark for a second year running finishing at $12,333, to now rank as the second best record behind last year's record breaking figure.
All up in the sale, 10 studs presented 17 rams for sale under the Elders banner and 15 were sold under the hammer for an average of $12,333.
In comparison, in last year's sale 16 rams sold from 20 offered to a top of $51,000, the best price achieved in the sale in the past two decades and sale record breaking average of $13,156.
Elders auctioneer James Culleton said it was an excellent presentation of rams which were a credit to the breeders.
"It was a very solid sale with good local stud and commercial buying support joined in places by Eastern States buying interest," Mr Culleton said.
"Overall it was a positive sale result for the industry leading into this year's ram selling season."
Equally as happy with the final sale result in terms of both clearance and average was Elders stud stock manager Tim Spicer.
Mr Spicer said it was a strong sale throughout with good support from both stud and commercial buyers from not only WA but also the Eastern States including South Australia and Queensland.
"It was good to see 30 buyer registrations in person along with another 14 on AuctionsPlus," Mr Spicer said.
"We also had about 1100 views of the catalogue on AuctionsPlus which is pleasing to see.
"The success of the sale wouldn't have been possible without our vendors and buyers and I want to thank them.
"Firstly, thank you to our vendors who each year entrust us to sell their rams in this fixture and then thank you to the local and interstate purchasers and underbidders that were active in the sale this year.
"Without both of these groups we would not be able to have a sale."
Claypans
When it came to the $31,000 top price, this was achieved towards the end of the sale when Mr Culleton stood over an upstanding, young Poll Merino sire in lot 13 from the Bolt family's Claypans stud, Corrigin.
Mr Culleton took an opening bid of $20,000 on the well-made sire, which showed great balance and good squareness.
From there, the price rose quickly as a bidding melee broke out and in no time Mr Culleton had hit the $30,000 mark and then it just took one bid for the ram to find a new home at $31,000.
Placing the final bid at $31,000 was South Australian stud breeder Tom Davidson, Moorundie Park, Gulnare, who was supported in his bidding by Elders South Australia stud stock representative Alistair Keller.
Mr Davidson, who has used Claypans genetics in the past, said he had came to the event with the hope of purchasing a new stud sire.
"The quality of the rams in the shed was very high overall but in the end this ram stood out to me," Mr Davidson said.
"Before I got here I had heard about him and had seen videos of him so I had some idea of what he was like.
"But when I saw him in the flesh I was impressed with his structural correctness and purity.
"He also has a lovely silky wool and has proven parentage in his background.
"We will select our best stud ewes to use him over this year and I think it should be a good combination."
The ET-bred, March shorn ram is by Claypans 632, which was the junior champion ram at the 2018 Perth Royal Show and out of Claypans 18, which was the champion unhoused ewe at the 2018 Perth Royal Show.
On the wool front it had current test figures of 20.5 micron, 3.5 SD, 17.3 CV and 98.8 per cent comfort factor (CF).
Along with selling the top-priced ram, the Claypans stud sold a second March shorn Poll Merino ram by Claypans 113 to return buyer John and Travis Hewettt, Chas Hewett & Co, Corrigin, for $6000.
This ram measured 21.4 micron, 3.4 SD, 15.9 CV and 98.8pc CF.
With both Claypans' rams selling under the hammer, the stud averaged $18,500 for the two young rams to be a highlight for the Bolt family in what has been somewhat of a testing year after receiving a significant amount of damage on their property during the Bruce Rock/Corrigin fire in February.
Angenup
It was a good couple of days for the Norrish family, Angenup stud, Kojonup, after dominating the March shorn ram classes in the judging ring on Thursday, success followed them into the sale.
The stud notched up the first of the sale's equal second top price when it sold a March shorn, two-tooth Poll Merino ram to the Blight family's Seymour Park stud, Highbury, for $20,000.
The 121 kilogram ram was ET-bred by Moorundie NE073 and had wool tests of 18.2 micron, 3.3 SD, 18.4 CV and 99.6pc CF.
Buyer Clinton Blight said they have started a Angenup family line in the stud from the first Angenup ram they purchased for $10,000 and their new Angenup sire would be added to this family.
"They have beautiful rich wools with excellent conformation," Mr Blight said.
"They also have deep bodies with good width through the hips, like this ram.
"We have used Moorundie blood in the stud in the past with success previously, so we think this ram will fit in well.
"He is ET-bred out of a good ewe and by Moorundie NE073 which is a proven sire throughout the country."
Along with selling the young Poll Merino ram the Angenup stud also sold a March shorn, two-tooth Merino ram for $8500 to Jason Griffiths, Canowie Fields stud, Gairdner.
The ram is sired by Angenup 12, which was a supreme exhibit at Wagin Woolorama.
It had wool figures of 20.8 micron, 3.0 SD, 14.3 CV and 99.6pc CF.
Mr Griffiths said it was the first time he had purchased from the Angenup stud and was looking forward to seeing what this ram could add to his breeding program.
"I was impressed by his very productive skin and long-stapled, lustrous, white wool," he said.
The two rams sold by Angenup averaged $14,500.
Seymour Park
Like the Angenup stud the Blight family's Seymour Park stud had an equally impressive day in the show ring and these results flowed through into the sale for them as well.
The stud offered two March shorn, two-tooth Poll Merino rams and both sold for a combined average of $15,000.
The Seymour Park team topped out at the sale's $20,000 equal second top price when the Wise family, Wililoo stud, Woodanilling, purchased the first Seymour Park ram offered at this value.
The soft, white woolled ram is by Gunallo 295 and had wool figures of 21.5 micron, 2.7 SD, 12.7 CV and 99.7pc CF.
Return buyer Rick Wise said he liked the outcross genetics of Gunallo 295 combined with the Seymour Park bloodline the ram offered.
"He is a productive, safe ram with good overall balance," Mr Wise said.
"We have had Seymour Park genetics in the past, so I am confident he will fit well into our breeding program."
Losing out to the Wililoo stud on the top-priced Seymour Park ram was regular Seymour Park buyer Bill Cowan, Crichton Vale stud, Narembeen, who bid with the support of his classer Elders stud stock representative Nathan King.
While Mr Cowan didn't walk away with the top-priced Seymour Park ram, he did still go home with a ram from the stud when he purchased the stud's second ram offered a Wallaloo Park 226 son at $10,000.
Mr Cowan said the ram was a big, long-bodied ram wqith a very good wool.
"His wool is as good as we could wish for," Mr Cowan said.
"We have purchased from Seymour Park for about 10 years and their genetics fit in well with our program."
"They are doing a fantastic job for what we are doing and we keep going back as they work so well."
The ram had wool figures of 20.4 micron, 2.9 SD, 14.3 CV and 99.4pc CF.
Belka Valley
Belka Valley stud principals Phil and Robyn Jones, Bruce Rock, offered one March shorn Poll Merino ram in the sale and it was their highly decorated champion - Belka Valley Daniel.
The upstanding youngster, which was sashed the junior champion ram and grand champion strong wool ram at this year's Australian Sheep & Wool Show at Bendigo, Victoria, created plenty of interest in the pens before finally being knocked down at $15,000 to Jason Griffiths, Canowie Fields stud, Gairdner.
Mr Griffiths said the purchase represented the first time he had purchased from Belka Valley and he was looking forward to seeing what the ram could add to his breeding program.
"He has good make and shape and a good backend," Mr Griffiths said.
"I was also really impressed by his wool quality, down his topline his wool is faultless.
"He is a really uncomplicated sheep which will hopefully add a good base to our Poll stud."
The well put together, deep-bodied ram is by East Mundalla 58 (Slippers), which the Belka Valley stud purchased for $33,000 at the 2020 Rabobank WA Sheep Expo & Ram Sale and out of a ewe carrying Claypans bloodlines.
It had wool figures of 21.2 micron, 3.2 SD, 15.3 CV and 99.5pc CF.
Pyramid Poll
The Pickering family's Pyramid Poll stud, Cascade, finished the sale on a high when it sold a ram for $14,000 to 12-year commercial clients Brad and his daughter Cassidy Whiting, BT Whiting & Co, Munglinup.
The March shorn Poll Merino ram was a late inclusion in the sale after attracting interest throughout the field days and expo, prompting stud principal Scott Pickering to release him from their stud reserves.
The Whitings run 4500 Merino ewes and driven by Cassidy, have recently commenced a nucleus breeding program to breed their own flock rams including a $15,000 sire purchase from Pyramid Poll last year.
The Whitings were impressed with their latest sire purchase from Pyramid Poll.
"He is an absolute ripper, one of the best rams Scott has bred," Mr Whiting said.
"He is even all over, with good coverage, solid feet and legs and a wool that can handle 500-550mm of rainfall with no issues," Ms Whiting said.
The 112kg double polled ram is by Pyramid Poll 1800564 and out of Pyramid Poll 190275, which is by Moorundie PB388.
It had wool figures of 20.3 micron, 3.4 SD, 17.0 CV and 98.9pc CF.
Barloo
The House family, Barloo stud, Gnowangerup, this year offered a single Merino sire in the sale.
Mr Culleton took an opening bid of $8000 on the long, stretchy, two-tooth ram and after some quick fire bidding it was finally knocked down at $13,000 to return buyer Bill Cowan, Crichton Vale stud.
Mr Cowan said he liked the length of body, scale and the big backend of the ram.
"Along with his top carcase traits he has excellent wool quality as well which will suit our breeding program," Mr Cowan said.
"We will use him in our Merino stud to breed more horned rams for clients who have come back after previously going out of sheep a number of years ago."
The ram, which is a son of Impact 40, was sold with wool figures of 19.9 micron, 3.7 SD, 18.4 CV and 98.9pc CF.
Willemenup
The House family, Gnowangerup, this year offered and sold one Poll Merino ram from its Willemenup stud.
Gaden Rose, Mardo Well stud, Dandaragan, made the trip south and didn't go home empty handed when he secured his first Willemenup sire from the stud for $13,000.
The March shorn Poll Merino ram was sired by Willemenup 195 and displayed wool tests of 19.4 micron, 3.5 SD, 18.1 CV and 99.6pc CF.
Mr Rose said he ran an AI program using South Australian sires for 10 years but in recent years had purchased a few WA sires to use with his own breeding.
"The ewes are in good shape," he said.
"The Willemenup ram has good growth rates, topline and nice medium white softer wool suitable for my higher rainfall."
Wililoo
After claiming the supreme exhibit title in the show ring on Thursday the Wise family, Wililoo stud, Woodanilling, also saw good results for its team of four rams offered in the sale.
The stud offered two full wool Merino rams sires, a full wool Poll Merino ram and a March shorn Poll Merino ram and all but the March shorn ram sold under the hammer to a top of $10,000 and an average of $7000.
Achieving the $10,000 top price in the Wililoo team was the stud's 155kg champion August shorn medium wool Merino ram when it was knocked down to Elders stud stock representative Russell McKay, who was carrying a buying order for WJ & GF Bailey, Needilup.
The long, deep ram is by Wililoo Hector and it had wool figures of 21.5 micron, 3.1 SD, 14.6 CV and 99.2pc CF.
The stud's second full wool Merino ram, a stylish, well-nourished sire, sold at $4000 to the Brumpton family, Mount Ascot stud, Mitchell, Queensland.
The son of Wililoo 52 had wool figures of 18.2 micron, 2.6 SD, 14.0 CV and 99.7pc CF.
After buying their first Wililoo polled ram for $18,000 at last year's sale, the Steel family, Carribber stud, Southern Cross, returned this year to add another Wililoo ram to their breeding program.
They paid $7000 for the full wool Poll Merino ram offered by the stud.
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The AI-bred Willandra 447 son had wool tests of 21.7 micron, 3.1 SD, 14.4 CV and 98.8pc CF.
James Steel said the progeny from the Wililoo ram they purchased last year were outstanding and they were looking to expand on these genetics.
"This ram has beautiful stylish rich wool like his Willandra 447 brother we purchased last year," Mr Steel said.
"The lambs from the ram we purchased last year towered over the others in the yards.
"They have excellent structure and had nice wools coming off them at shearing which is extremely encouraging."
While the stud's March shorn Poll Merino ram failed to sell under the hammer, it did however find a new home selling privately after the sale at $3500 to Joe Felber, AJ Felber, Badgingarra.
This ram was by a Moorundie Park sire and had wool figures of 18.7 micron, 2.4 SD, 13.0 CV and 99.9pc CF.
Quailerup West
The Mullan family, Quailerup West stud, Wickepin, offered and sold one March shorn Merino ram in the sale and it sold at $9500 to Brendan Maher, Rockdale Valley stud, Muntadgin.
Mr Maher said the ram had a good structure and a deep barrel, like his full brother we purchased privately last month for $10,000.
"Both rams have the size and structure we are looking for and like his brother I think this ram will be a good asset to our stud going forward," Mr Maher said.
The upstanding two-tooth ET-bred ram, which showed good squareness from behind, is by Quailerup West Tommy and out of Tara Park blood ewe.
It had wool figures of 20.0 micron, 2.7 SD, 13.6 CV and 99.8pc CF.
Tilba Tilba
The Rintoul family's Tilba Tilba stud, Williams, offered two full wool rams - a Merino and a Poll Merino - and one sold under the hammer at $4000 to Callan Hewett, Calcorp Holdings, Corrigin, who purchased his first ram from the Tilba Tilba stud at last year's sale.
After purchasing a Merino sire last year, this year Mr Hewett went home with a Poll Merino ram which he said had a good long body, a top fine wool and good grease on its tip.
"I think he will be a heavy cutter as well," Mr Hewett said.
The soft, well-nourished woolled ram carried East Strathglen bloodlines and had wool figures of 19.9 micron, 2.8 SD, 14.0 CV and 99.7pc CF.
