Cranmore Poll Merinos values reach $5600 at Walebing

Following last year's record breaking sale, the Lefroys increased their ram offering this year, offering their clients a greater selection to fill their requirements.

Cranmore's loyal following of commercial clients, many of which were decades in the making and stretching from Geraldton to Ravensthorpe and Kojonup with strong local and Central Midlands support, formed a register of 30 buyers.

On the back of another excellent season with positive outlooks for the sheep and wool industry, buyers enjoyed selecting from a quality sale team of 214 Merino and Poll Merino rams within their preferred budgets with values ranging mainly from $900 to $3500.

In its 114th year, Cranmore is among the country's oldest studs still operating and the Lefroys delivered an even sale team of well grown, extensively measured and white-woolled rams reflecting their breeding goal of producing easy care sheep for the Australian industry to improve productivity and profitability of their clients' enterprises.

Under the control of the Nutrien Livestock selling team guided by auctioneer Grant Lupton, Nutrien Livestock and Wool, Wongan Hills, all rams found new homes at auction for an overall average of $1938.

This was back $334 on last year's sale where all 199 Merino and Poll Merino rams sold at a $2272 average.

In the breed breakdown, increased numbers of 155 Merino rams averaged $1910, down $339 on last year where 102 rams averaged $2249, while the line-up of 59 Poll Merino rams returned an average of $2010, back $286 on last year's greater numbers of 97 polled rams which averaged $2296.

Mr Lupton said it was an outstanding result for the Lefroy family.

"To put up extra rams and achieve a full clearance at solid averages is pleasing for the Cranmore team," Mr Lupton said.

"Great to see regular buyers back bidding strongly and reflecting positivity in the seasonal conditions and confidence in the industry going forward."

Top-end Cranmore buyers form a regular theme at the sale and this year was no exception.

DT & M McKinley, Moora, returned to pay a strong average of $3350 for a team of six Poll Merino rams and again bid to the sale's $5600 top price.

It took until lot 71 before the sale's top was recorded with buyer Matt McKinley raising his sights on the 91.4kg ram (99 per cent rank against team average, weighed September) by sire 18-064 with late August wool tests of 19.4 micron, 17 CV, 3.9kg greasy fleece weight (GFW) from its mid-April shearing and scanned in late June 36.5mm (121pc) eye muscle depth (EMD) and 4.7mm (131pc) fat depth (FD) and displayed an even spread of indexes and body ASBVs of 162.39 MP +, 177.96 DP +, 18.47 YCFW, -0.19 YFD, 7.11 YWT, 0.49 YEMD, 0.44YFAT and 3.57 YWT.

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The McKinleys also paid $4100 for the first polled rams offered, a 89.2kg ram by 19-238 with raw data and ASBVs of 19.4 micron, 15.5 CV, 2.9kg GFW, 35mm (105pc) EMD, 4.8mm (134pc) FD, 155.3 MP +, 172.72 DP +, 15.62 YCFW, -0.28 YFD, 6.48 YWT, 0.96 YEMD, 0.44 YFAT and 3.48 YWT.

The McKinleys run a self-replacing Merino ewe flock to lamb May-June which they run in conjunction with their Moore Park Poll Dorset stud and have been buying flock rams from Cranmore for the past 17 years since moving away from breeding their own Cranmore blood rams.

Mr McKinley said on the back of a couple of good seasons they plan to keep their ewe numbers stable at 3500 to be joined to Cranmore Poll Merino rams and Moore Park Poll Dorset rams.

He said they use ASBVs as a tool and look for more dual purpose sheep with good carcase characteristics and wool cut when making their selections.

Another consistent buyer at the top-end of the market Brendan Vanbeek, Koolena Farm, Gillingarra, stuck to theme with his team of six rams paying an average of $3183 including the two top-priced Merino rams at $4800 and $4600.

His top price was paid for a high ranking ram in lot 52 containing a 86.7kg son of 19-133 which ranked in the top 5pc of industry for YCFW 32.27 and top 20pc for MP + 178.08 with other data of 19.4 micron, 14.4 CV, 2.9kg GFW, 30.5mm EMD, 2.9mm FD, 169.27 DP +, -1.47 YFD, 3.58 YWT, -0.24 YEMD, -0.57 YFAT and 3.52 YWT.

Mr Vanbeek's $4600 price tag went to another high indexing ram in lot 34, a 101.6kg son of 19-583 ranking in the top 20pc for DP+ 180.82 with other measurements of 19.4 micron, 15.5 CV, 3.6kg GFW (100pc), 36mm EMD (108pc), 3.6mm FD (100pc), 171.57 MP +, 21.84 YCFW, -1.12 YFD, 8.7 YWT, 0.76 YEMD, -0.12 YFAT and 4.55 YWT.

The Vanbeeks have been buying rams at Cranmore for almost 40 years and join 1200 specially selected Merino ewes which yield a majority of their replacement and 2400 Merino ewes to Merino and Poll Dorset rams.

Rams will go in with the September shorn ewes from January 1 for a June lambing.

Mr Vanbeek said he looked for rams with stylish white wools that have handled the winter well along with high indexes and clean fleece weights.

"Cranmore are doing good work with their figures and heading in the right direction and as a buyer, we are going with them," Mr Vanbeek said.

The success of the sale was built on the extensive list of buyers who sourced large numbers of rams at the sale.

With 21 rams clerked to their account, Geraldton woolgrowers Wellsford Nominees Pty Ltd were the sale's volume buyer.

They included two polled rams in the majority Merino ram team paying from $900 to $2900.

Local buyer GM Humphrey, Walebing, returned for another big team of 17 Merino and Poll Merino rams costing $1200-$2900, while 50-plus year buyers of numbers at dearer values the House family, Wong Wong Pastoral Company, Moora, operated from $1500 to $3700 for 16 Merino rams to average $2650.

The southernmost buyer of 25-plus years at Cranmore AD & SE Duncan, Ravensthorpe, finished the sale with 15 Merino rams costing all intervals from $900 to $2500, while return Moora buyer Arrawarra Pty Ltd entered the sale late and operated at good value for money from $900 to $1200 for 12 rams (seven polls, five horned).

Other bigger accounts containing nine rams were Yolander Holdings Pty Ltd, Kojonup, $1200-$2200, Ranfurly Agriculture, Moora, $1400-$2900 and Annadale Farm, Koojan, $1000-$2100.

Annual supporter of Cranmore polls Brad Tonkin, Kenilworth Agriculture, Coomberdale, also purchased nine Poll Merino rams at the sale, costing from $1700 to $2200 and was the buyer of lucky lot 72 (to commemorate Cranmore's 72nd sale) and took home five litres of Clik Extra drench valued at about $400, sponsored by Paul Dugan, Elanco WA.

Mr Tonkin has been buying polled rams at Cranmore for the past decade after his previous stud was sold and said the Cranmore sale gave a really good, even line-up of sheep from start to finish.

The Tonkin's early September shorn ewe flock averaging 18 micron is joined at the end of January for a June-July lambing.

He said the family's Coomberdale property has received 440mm of rain since the end of April in a close to perfect season to date.

"We are getting bogged a bit, but that's a nice problem to have and better than the alternative," Mr Tonkin said.