IT was a big day at Nyabing recently for the Browne family's Chirniminup Dohne stud when it hosted its annual on-property sale and achieved some impressive results including a rise in average of $299 and a top price of $4100.
But these weren't the only highlights in the very strong sale, which saw the stud present the second largest single offering of fully registered Dohne rams in Australia.
The line-up of 214 rams was certainly well appreciated by a long list of return and new buyers as they chased the wool and carcase attributes offered by the Chirniminup rams.
From the very first pen to the very last pen, the buyers kept the Nutrien Livestock selling team, led by auctioneers Mark Warren and Ben Hankinson, on their toes as they fielded bids from right around the shed ensuring an unexpected outcome for all involved.
By the end of the sale 36 different buyers, from as far north as Badgingarra to Esperance in the south east, had cleared 213 of the 214 rams offered under the hammer at an average of $1940 and the sole passed in ram also quickly found a home after the sale to give the stud a complete clearance on the day.
At these figures the Browne family set a number of new stud records.
The number of rams offered and sold and the gross figure now rank as the best it has ever recorded in its 16 years of on-property sales, while the average ranks as its second best ever.
The Browne family established the stud in 2003 as a daughter stud of Far Valley and at its first public auction in 2007 the stud sold 92 from 107 rams at an average of $1277.
Many of those buyers in that initial sale were again out in force last week, helping the stud achieve its impressive sale result.
In comparison, in last year's sale the stud offered 205 rams and sold 192 at an average of $1641.
Nutrien Livestock Breeding representative Roy Addis said the final sale result was very strong and well above pre-sale expectations in terms of both clearance and prices.
"It was an outstanding line-up of Dohne rams, complemented by industry leading Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) presented by the Browne family today and they sold to strong competition right through the sale," Mr Addis said.
"The evenness and quality of rams offered was certainly reinforced by the strong buying support from the first to the final ram which culminated in a $1940 average.
"It was great to see repeat and new buyers appreciating the quality of rams on offer and bidding up on their choice lots.
"The final result is a credit to the Browne family and all the work they put in."
Equally as happy and blown away by the result was stud co-principal Rachel Browne.
She said the final sale result was totally unexpected.
"I am super happy and what we have achieved today is amazing," Ms Browne said.
"Today's average was up in comparison to last year and well up on our 15 year average for all public auction rams which was sitting at a very affordable $1450.
MORE RAM SALE NEWS:
"We put up the large offering of rams to give our clients a large selection to choose from but never imagined we would sell all 214 offered and I thank all the bidders and underbidders for their support.
"I usually like to have a few left over, because to me it indicates that most clients will have filled their orders, but I think today there may have been buyers which didn't fill their requirements in the sale."
Ms Browne said she was not only happy with the final sale figures, but also how well the rams penned up.
"This year the rams had a little over 223 millimetres of rain on them since they were shorn in May, but despite this I was exceptionally pleased, but not surprised at how well the wools had coped with the quantity of rain," Ms Browne said.
"It's always a good test, especially for the rams that head into the higher rainfall areas to have this pressure applied to them, and it reflects the high fleece quality we have here at Chirniminup."
The sale's $4100 top price was set early when Mr Warren stood over a deep-bodied ram with good wool and carcase traits in lot five.
Mr Warren took an opening bid of $2000 on the ram and from there the price raced up before he finally knocked it down at $4100 to first time buyer Tim Pyle, Millstream Pastoral, Manypeaks.
Mr Pyle, who farms with his brother David, said he believed the ram was the best sire in the line-up.
"He has very good structure and very good carcase traits, while his wool is well-nourished with good character," Mr Pyle said.
"We are aiming to set up a nucleus flock of Dohne ewes to breed our own rams from this year, so we will probably use this ram in that."
The upstanding ram had ASBVs of 5.5 weaning weight (WWT), 5.8 post weaning weight (PWWT), 1.1 post weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD), 0.9 post weaning fat (PFAT), 16.4 yearling clean fleece weight (YCFW), -0.1 yearling fibre diameter (YFD), 1.8 yearling yield (YYLD) and a Dohne Plus index of 159.8.
At these figures the ram is ranked in the top five per cent for PFAT and YCFW and top 20pc for WWT and PEMD in the breed.
Along with buying the top-priced ram, Mr Pyle also purchased another three rams, to finish with a team of four at an average of $2700.
Mr Pyle said they have been using Dohnes for seven to eight years over their Merino ewes and they were transitioning away from the Merinos as they believed Dohnes suited their area better.
"We like them as they are easy-care and produce fast growing lambs which you can wean earlier plus they have better fertility and we think the ewes are better mothers," Mr Pyle said.
All up the Pyle family is running 16,000 Dohne-Merino cross ewes of which 8000 are mated to White Suffolk sires, while 6400 are joined to Dohnes and 1600 to Merinos for a June lambing.
Mr Pyle said they aimed to sell their White Suffolk sired lambs as suckers in November.
When it comes to their Dohne-Merino wether lambs, these are shorn and put through their feedlot with any of the White Suffolk sired lambs not sold as suckers and then marketed in January at 22 kilograms dressed.
The second top price was $3300 bid by PW & LF Adams, Kukerin.
The long, deep, square ram ranks in the top 5pc of the breed for PEMD (1.7) and PFAT (0.9) as well as 10pc for WWT (6.0) and PWWT (6.8),
It is also in the top 20pc for YCFW (12.1) and the Dohne Plus index (166.4).
Along with purchasing the second top-priced rams, the Adams family also purchased a second sire at $3000.
It ranks in the top 5pc for WWT and PWWT as well as top 10pc for PFAT, while it is in the top 20pc for PEMD, YCFW and the Dohne Plus index.
The next best price paid was $3100 and it was pencilled into the clerking sheets on three occasions.
Return buyers Waynne and Pip Crook, Coolangatta Enterprises, Jingalup, who run 3500 Dohne ewes, purchased two of the $3100 rams, as part of a team of 10 that averaged $2470.
The first ram they purchased at $3100 in lot 44 ranked in the top 10pc for PEMD and PFAT, while their second ram at this value catalogued in lot 134 ranked in the top 5pc for YCFW and the Dohne Plus index.
The other buyer to go to $3100 was TC & GS Gray, Dumbleyung, which finished the sale with three rams at an average of $2667.
They outlaid $3100 for a ram that ranks in the top 5pc for WWT, PWWT and the Dohne Plus index.
Also buying strongly at the top end were third-year buyers Andrew and Bianca James, Abban Farms, Karlgarin, who averaged $2600 over a team of five which topped at $3000 twice.
Mr James said they used to run Merino ewes but were transitioning to a Dohne flock.
"We like the Dohne breed because it is a good dual-purpose animal," Mr James said.
"We used to buy in ewes but we have gone back to breeding our own in recent years.
"This year we will join 800 Dohne ewes to Dohne rams and another 800 Dohne and Merino ewes to White Suffolk rams."
Return Wagin buyer PR & LR Coles and Yallalie Valley, Millendon, were two buyers to have a major influence on the sale the result purchasing nine rams each at average of $2478 and $2133, while NC & TM Garlick, Katanning and Morialta Farming Co, Katanning, also collected nine each at averages of $1967 or $1744 respectively.
Other strong buyers at the top end included Narrabri Farms, Katanning, which averaged $2380 over a team of five that topped at $2900, while the Brockway family, WS & HM Brockway, Wagin, secured eight to a top of $2800 and average of $2275 and DB & JT Sims & Co, Beverley, finished with five on the ute, averaging $2220 and to a top of $2900.
There were a number of volume buyers in the sale and the largest of these was return buyer Chris Edmonds, Caelyn, Bolgart and his livestock manager Cameron Wallis, who finished with 16 rams to a top of $2100 and an average of $1506.
Mr Edmonds said they had purchased from Chirniminup for a long time as the stud's rams have a good constitution and excellent wools.
This year the Bolgart enterprise, which lambs in April/May and regularly averages more than a 100pc lambing, will join 1300 Dohne ewes to Dohne rams.
The next biggest buyers were John and Emma Scotney, J & E Scotney, Badgingarra, who run 4500 Dohne ewes.
They secured 13 rams to a top of $2500 and an average of $1954.
Mr Scotney said he liked the Dohne breed because it has a good balance between meat and wool and also because the ewes looked after their lambs better.
"We have been buying from Chirniminup for 12 years and continue to come back because the rams produce good solid sheep and the ewes we breed have excellent maternal traits," Mr Scotney said.
"They also have good white wools which stand up in our environment even in the wetter years."
In recent years the Scotneys have achieved a 120pc lambing, while their ewes cut about 4.8kg of 19 micron wool.
This year they will join 3500 ewes to Dohne sires and 1000 ewes to Poll Dorset rams.
There were another two buyers to secure double figure teams - repeat buyer Amuri Creek Fruit Pty Ltd, Denbarker, averaging $1964 across a team of 11 and return buyer Knud Nymann, Strathaven, Gnowangerup, averaging $1240 for 10.