AFTER achieving a huge result at its on-property sale last year, the House family, Barloo and Willemenup studs, Gnowangerup, showed it was no fluke, backing it up last week at this year's sale.
The family recorded another massive result that will again rank up as one of the biggest results in WA for an on-property Merino and Poll Merino ram sale, averaging $2181 and grossing more than $689,000.
This year the House family put together an impressive offering of 326 well-grown, well-made, quality-woolled Barloo and Willemenup sires and buyers responded accordingly, pushing prices to a high of $8750 for a Willemenup Poll Merino and $8200 for a Barloo Merino.
Right through the catalogue there was strong competition from the 52 registered stud and commercial buyers who had travelled from as far afield as Mingenew in the north, Esperance in the south east and Narembeen in the Wheatbelt and Eastern States.
As a result, rams in the last row were still making more than $2000 when they were the right types for buyers.
When the numbers were crunched after close to four hours of selling by Elders auctioneers Nathan King and James Culleton, 316 or 97 per cent of the rams offered were headed to 44 new homes at an average of $2181 and for a gross of $689,300.
These figures meant the average eased $21 on last year, however the number of rams sold was up 10 and the gross was up by $15,500.
In the breakdown, the Houses offered 216 Barloo rams (121 Merinos and 95 Poll Merinos) and sold 210 (115 Merinos and 95 Poll Merinos) for an average of $2198, which was down a marginal $21 on the Barloo result last year.
The Barloo Merinos sold averaged $2361 (down $52), while the Poll Merinos averaged $2001 (up $89).
In the Willemenup offering, 110 rams were offered and 106 were cleared under the hammer at an average of $2148, which was down $22 on last year.
Elders stud stock representative and Barloo classer Russell McKay said it was a tremendous line-up of Barloo and Willemenup Merino and Poll Merino rams offered by the House family and buyers responded accordingly.
"It was a very consistent line of rams which all showed scale, thickness, carcase and whiteness in their wools," Mr McKay said.
"The Barloo Merino rams showed their normal width of body and carcase attributes and bulk of wool, while the Polls were more consistent than previous years and their wools were rich, crimpy and well-nourished.
"Again there was tremendous buying support from all areas of the State from Esperance to Mingenew, plus all across the Great Southern.
"It was a solid sale from start to finish which was underpinned by a large number of volume buyers.
"To sell close to 320 rams at an average of close to $2200 is a credit to the House family and the efforts they put into their breeding and management programs."
The sale kicked off with an offering of 38 March shorn, shed-prepared rams from both the Barloo and Willemenup lines and they got it off to a flying start, selling for an average of $3987, while the first 100 rams averaged more than $2950.
While rams from the House family's Barloo stable dominated the numbers, a Willemenup sire attracted the most interest and the $8750 top price tag.
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When Mr King offered up the upstanding, structurally correct Polled ram in lot eight, he received an opening bid of $3000 and from there interested parties threw in bids in quick succession.
Finally when the price hit $8750, Mr King knocked the ram down to return buyer Wayne Pech, North Stirling Downs Pty Ltd, Gnowangerup.
Mr Pech said the ram was one of eight rams in the first 40 lots they had identified as possible purchases due to their good structure and wool type before they looked at the data.
"He is structurally correct with a good free-growing wool," Mr Pech said.
"When we looked at the data he was the standout and pick of the group.
"We wanted a ram with good fats, because there is evidence out there that shows a correlation with fat and mothering ability, and also with a high fleece weight, and this ram ticked those boxes."
The ram, which is a son of Sparticus 007, had a growth rate of 324 grams per day and a wool growth rate of 1040g/month.
It had wool figures of 19.5 micron, 3.2 SD, 16.1 CV and 99.7 per cent comfort factor (CF).
Mr Pech said they would use the ram in their nucleus breeding flock which comprises 800 to 900 ewes to breed rams for their own use.
Annually the Pech family joins 10,000 to Merino rams for a July/August lambing and 2000 Merino ewes to Suffolk rams for a late June/July lambing.
Mr Pech said over the past four years they have achieved a 100pc lambing to ewes joined and this year they recorded their best ever result of 112pc for all ewes joined on the back of a good season.
"Our aim is to turn our lambs off as quickly as possible so we can look after our ewes better," Mr Pech said.
"We want to get rid of both our wether and crossbred lambs prior to harvest in early November.
"Last year we had a sale on AuctionsPlus for our lambs and it went well with most of our wether lambs going to graziers."
Mr Pech said they liked running Merinos and they won't be going away from Merinos any time soon.
"They are such a versatile animal and you have plenty of marketing avenues for their progeny," Mr Pech said.
The second top price and the highest price paid for a Barloo ram was $8200 when a long, deep-bodied ram in lot 15 was knocked down to client of 10 years Daniel Patterson, Redwood Enterprises Pty Ltd, Gnowangerup.
Mr Patterson said the ram had a very good surface and a good structure.
"He also has a good wool density and staple length," Mr Patterson said.
"He is a good all round ram.
"I was also chasing his bloodline as we have had it in the past and it has been working well so we want to keep it going."
The March shorn ram is by Dominator 475 and had wool figures of 19.6 micron, 3.3 SD, 17.1 CV and 99.5pc CF to go with a growth rate of 326g/day and a wool growth rate of 1040g/month.
Like Mr Pech, Mr Patterson will use his purchase in a nucleus flock to breed rams for the family's own use.
All up the Pattersons join 4500 ewes to Merino rams and 500 Merino ewes to White Suffolk rams and their mature ewes average 20 microns and a seven kilogram cut.
They aim to turn wethers off aged about 10 months.
"Generally we shear them and run them on stubbles before turning them off," Mr Patterson said.
Recording the third highest was another March shorn Barloo Merino ram when it sold at $7250 to first time buyers the Meyer family, Mulloorie stud, Brinkworth, South Australia, who left their bidding to Nutrien Livestock Breeding representative Mitchell Crosby.
The Impact 40 son had a growth rate of 342g/day and a wool growth rate of 1000g/month.
In terms of its wool figures, those sat at 20.6 micron, 3.9 SD, 19.0 CV and 99.5pc CF.
Mulloorie co-principal Paul Meyer said he saw the ram at the Rabobank WA Sheep Expo & Ram Sale at Katanning when he was judging and was impressed by its production.
"He is a really productive ram with a quality wool," Mr Meyer said.
"He is also good on his feet, has good bone, a good backend and a good head set.
"We saw him as an opportunity to introduce a new bloodline into our Merino flock, it becoming harder and harder to find a good Merino sire in South Australia."
The next best price was $6500 paid by return buyer Heal Farming Pty Ltd, Three Springs, for a March shorn Willemenup Poll Merino, which was by Titan 1087 and had wool figures of 20.7 micron, 3.4 SD and 99.4pc CF.
The Heals also purchased a Barloo Poll at $1500.
Other buyers strong at the top end of the market included MD & FC Brown, Boonoke West stud, Jerramungup, who paid $5250 for a Barloo Merino ram, while Glanville Pastoral Trust, Grenfell, NSW, who purchased through Mr McKay, secured three Barloo Merinos to a top of $5000 and an average of $4067.
The top price for a Barloo Poll Merino ram was $4800 and it was paid by repeat buyer Jokar Farming, Broomehill.
It bid the value for a Governor son with a growth rate of 314g/day and a wool growth figure of 1000g/month, as well as wool figures of 19.6 micron, 3.3 SD, 17.1 CV and 99.7pc CF.
The Gnowengerup enterprise purchased another three Barloo Polls and a Willemenup Poll to finish with a team of five at an average of $3700.
Bidding strongly on purely Barloo Merino sires were Teddington Farms, Gnowangerup, which averaged $3900 over a team of six that topped at $4750.
AK & AJ Mead, Ravensthorpe, purchased seven Merinos to a top of $4000 and an average of $3343 and Peter Bailey Partners, Narembeen, averaged $2680 over a team of 10 Merinos that topped at $4900.
Client of more than 50 years David Bungey, ER Bungey & Son, Borden, was another to have a major influence early, picking up two Barloo Merinos, one Barloo Poll and five Willemenup Polls to a top of $4400 and an average of $3438.
Mr Bungey said they continued to return and buy from the House family because they bred easy-doing sheep with good constitutions.
"They cut plenty of wool and have good growth rates," Mr Bungey said.
The Bungeys join 2500 ewes to Merino sires for a late June/July lambing and aim to sell their wethers as lambs.
"We shear our wether lambs in January and finish them on faba beans before selling them to Fletchers International in March," Mr Bungey said.
"This year we sold our first line of 500 2021-drop wethers at 10 months old at an average of 28kg dressed and received 820c/kg dressed for them."
Geoff Cosgrove, Cosgrove Farming, Mingenew, who has been buying from Barloo for more than 35 years, was another major buyer when it came to numbers and prices.
Mr Cosgrove, who likes the Barloo sheep for their robustness, big frames and heavy wool cuts, purchased nine Barloo Merinos, two Barloo Polls and four Willemenup Polls to a top of $4300 and an average of $2783.
Mr Cosgrove said he was chasing rams with good body growth rates as his was to turn their wethers off at 10 to 11 months old.
The volume buyers this year was Warrenup Pastoral, Kojonup.
Warrenup Pastoral livestock operations managers Reegan Gale and Shaydn Gardner worked their way through the line-up to finish with a team of 29 Polls which contained a mix of Barloo and Willemenup rams, at an average of $1845 and to a top of $3500.
They said they were chasing rams that had good frames and soft-handling, high yielding, very white stylish wools.
The Kojonup enterprise is aiming to join 5500 ewes to Poll Merino rams for a lambing starting in April.
The next biggest buyer was Andrew Stewart and his father Meighan, D, M MCL & JA Stewart, Lake Grace, who have been buying from the House family for 50 plus years.
The Stewarts finished with 20 Polls, which included Barloo and Willemenup sires, to a top of $2000 and an average of $1310.
Andrew Stewart said he was chasing good structure, productive rams with stylish wools to join to the family's 3300 ewes this season.
Return buyers Harley Bairstow and sons Regan and Courtney, HW & HA Bairstow, Dumbleyung, also featured strongly on the clerking sheets.
The Bairstows, who were chasing rams with big plain bodies and high wool production, purchased four Merinos and 14 Polls from both the Barloo and Willemenup offerings at an average of $2022 and a top of $2900.
Two other major buyers were C & M English, Wagin, with 17 Barloo Merinos at an average of $1241 and AD & RE Marshall, Lake Grace, which averaged $1907 over a team of 15 (nine Merinos and six Polls) that contained both Barloo and Willemenup bloodlines.
