IT was three sales and three giant steps forward for Wilgana stud at Boyup Brook when it held its third on-property Poll Dorset ram sale.
Not only did the stud receive a $2600 top price, the $1327 average was the best yet and stud principals Clint and Kay Westphal recorded a total clearance under Westcoast Wool & Livestock auctioneer Chris Hartley's hammer.
Had buyers been aware the buying register had swelled to 19, compared with last year's 15, they may have gone harder in the early stages and it wasn't until midway through the selling they realised it was a case of bid up or go home empty handed.
One of those who had no intention of waiting was top price buyer Jim and Laura Johnston, trading as MM & MJ Johnston & Son, Boyup Brook, who bought lot two at $2600 which was one of the longest and heaviest rams in the line-up.
The comprehensive raw data showed the single-born ram had a 55.5-kilogram weaning weight, currently weighed 131kg, and had carcase measurements of 49 millimetres eye muscle depth (EMD), 107mm eye muscle width (EMW) giving a 40.4cm2 eye muscle area with 10mm of fat.
It also measured 920mm body length.
The couple were first time buyers to Wilgarna and bought a single ram to use in a nucleus flock to produce their own rams.
Return buyer Peter Samwell, Ironstone Ridge Poll Dorset stud, Boyup Brook, paid the $2200 second highest price.
The single-born ram was the heaviest and longest in the line-up weighing 135kg and measuring 940mm body length and it also had the 109mm highest EMW.
Mr Westphal said the entire line-up carried a background of Hillden stud, New South Wales, bloodlines and he was pleased to have the support of so many return buyers as well as a couple of new people.
He said it was his aim to breed and present a consistently even line of rams and he felt this year's line-up demonstrated progress in this direction.
Buyers responded accordingly, lifting the average by $262 across the board and return buyers Wade and Emma Robertson, Boyup Brook, was one client who commended the improvement.
They bought 12 rams to be one of the biggest buyers and were competitive in the early stages of the sale which represented the best value buying.
After buying from different studs in recent years, the couple made the decision to settle at Wilgarna, saying not only was it conveniently located, they also believed the Westphals had a good breeding direction.
They paid up to $1600 twice and averaged $1408 for their team.
Part-time farmer Leigh Beadle, Boyup Brook, sent prices to $1850 for lot four and he struck again, paying $1250 for lot 18, saying he came to get exactly what he wanted and he wasn't prepared to settle for something he was not entirely happy with.
Although he only had a small land holding, he ran it to make money and had come to the sale every year.
Mr Beadle based his selections heavily on the available measurements to get sires with good growth and muscle figures ensuring he turned off most of his lambs as suckers with a minimum 50kg bodyweight.
Westcoast Wool & Livestock, Boyup Brook representative, Mat Lowe held a pocketful of buying orders including one from Karafilis Family Trust, Bridgetown, that sent values to $1900.
Mr Lowe was competitive from start to finish, but still needed about 15 rams to fill all his orders.
He said this year the family had really stepped up to offer the most even team to date and had presented the rams extremely well.
"They are consolidating their breeding and it was evident in the line-up, there was not the drop-off towards the end as in the past," Mr Lowe said.
"The number of repeat local buyers was a major achievement and many of the rams had very good figures - it was a really good result and there is scope to expand the numbers."
Mr Low believed extra competition was coming from farmers who wanted to return to sheep rather than crop some of their lighter more marginal country in the areas east of Boyup Brook.
Two return buyers who had a big influence in values were Ray Gifford, trading as HR & FA Gifford, Bridgetown, who bought five rams for up to $1750 and averaged $1610.
Roger Korn, Yarwun Pty Ltd, Boyup Brook, bought nine rams to fulfil his annual replacement needs and paid up to $1500 and averaged $1289.
Yarwun turns off about 3000 prime lambs annually and most are F2 Poll Dorsets.
Mr Korn said they joined their Merino ewe hoggets to Merino rams to give a self-replacing Merino line and in subsequent years they joined them to Poll Dorsets to breed F1 mothers enabling them to turn off heavier and meatier lambs quickly.
He put good faith in the statistics, looking for length, good structure including feet and shoulders and a good broad rump.
Mr Korn was one of the few buyers to take the extra step of checking the testes of all the rams he had ticked in the catalogue saying generally in the industry there was a natural infertility rate in rams of about five per cent.
As an ex-shearer, who had seen plenty of upturned rams in his time, he believed it was important to examine this aspect more closely especially in rocky country where rams could injure themselves.
Two other noteworthy buyers were RL & HM Tuckett, Tonebridge, who bought just two rams but paid up to $1400 and Lloyd Grazing, Boyup Brook, which also bought two rams for $1400 and $1350.