$20,500 for Bradford family's Hillcroft Farms UltraWhite, Popanyinning

By the end of a long day the Nutrien Ag Solutions team had amassed $1,687,550 on behalf of the Bradford family at Popanyinning and many buyers went away with intentions to start their own studs.

In the post-COVID era six interstate buying concerns were personally at the sale but most chose to buy through AuctionsPlus and of the 351 lots that went under auctioneer Steve Wright's hammer 137 were sold to various AuctionsPlus buyers including some bidding remotely in WA.

This year AuctionsPlus footage of every individual lot was televised on a giant screen and apart from AuctionsPlus, two other Nutrien Livestock staff members took bids from other major interstate buyers.

AuctionsPlus was represented by WA co-ordinator Zoe Macfarlan and by the end of the day she had relayed more than 2000 on-line bids from 41 active accounts, of which 31 were successful.

A further 310 people around Australia were logged in to follow the proceedings.

By the end of the day AuctionsPlus had accounted for many of the highly valued sheep including the $20,500 top-priced ram which was later revealed to have been bought by Matthew Wood, Culgoa stud, Goodooga, New South Wales.

The ram was one of four Hillcroft Farms had taken to the Australian Sheep & Wool Show at Bendigo, Victoria, earlier this year and was by 198155, one of two Hillcroft Farms sires that dominated the high prices.

The top-priced ram had Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) of 8.88 weaning weight (WWT), 12.64 post weaning weight (PWWT), 0.79 post weaning fat (PFAT) and 2.3 eye muscle diameter (PEMD).

Mr Wood bought a second ram for $10,000.

Another AuctionsPlus buyer Bully Malherbe, Bulmar stud, Spring Hill, NSW, paid $15,250 for a second son of 198155.

Nutrien Livestock Breeding representative Roy Addis operated on behalf of Steve, Ros, Greg and Selena Funke, Bundara Downs stud, Bordertown, South Australia, and after getting 10 ewes including the $6600 top-priced ewe, he went to work on the rams paying the $20,000 equal second top price as well as buying other rams for $16,500 and $5000.

Their $20,000 ram had been the champion non-shearing ram at Bendigo and had ASBVs of 8.12 WWT, 12.26 PWWT, 1 PFAT and 2.47 PEMD and was bought in partnership with Victorian breeder Joel Donnan, Anden stud, Willangie.

It was the third time Bundara Downs had bought at the sale with the Funkes having progressed to the point where they will hold their inaugural sale offering ram lambs next month.

Justin and Luke Bamman, Eyre stud, near Cummin, South Australia, also paid $20,000 and were one of the more experienced UltraWhite users after buying their first rams five years ago.

They started off with a line of the Bowey family's commercial ewes from Kulin before buying stud ewes privately and at auction in 2020.

Last week they arrived at the sale to buy a single ram with an exceptional set of figures culminating in a 147.7 terminal carcase plus (TCP) index - the second highest in the catalogue.

The ram had individual components of 9.38 WWT, 13.6PWWT, 0.98 PFAT and a huge 3.95 PEMD.

Justin Bamman said they had always sought high indexing sheep and wanted quality over quantity.

He had last attended the sale in 2019 and said despite the high prices it was still a down-to-earth sale where everyone could still afford to get rams.

It was an opinion with which stud principal Dawson Bradford agreed.

Ram prices did not reach the peaks of the past two years but it was solid and more even throughout.

Not a single ram was overlooked by buyers and he said there was scope to offer at least another 30 rams in 2023.

Mr Bradford said he was overwhelmed by the interest shown by people after Bendigo and with the release of the fertility gene next year he predicted it would 'send things into orbit'.

Everyone has come to expect enormous things from the sale and it was no different this year.

Although prices didn't peak to the extent they did last year, it was a rock-solid sale and produced a stud record $4230 average over the 248 rams offered and sold, up $672 from last year's $3558.

In a pre-sale address Mr Bradford told salegoers researchers working on Wagyu beef tenderness had isolated the gene for eating quality and about 40 per cent of Hillcroft Farms' sheep carried it and they were working to instil it further throughout the stud.

However, its use to buyers was some time away as researchers were still developing a way to express its genetic value as an ASBV.

Hillcroft Farms' lambs already have been recognised for eating quality with the Rockpool restaurant starring UltraWhite lamb on the menu.

Interstate buyers bought the first eight rams and it was local Williams man Robert Logie who struck first for WA and also illustrated the prevailing sentiment towards non-shearing sheep.

As a crutching contractor, he believed the sheep industry was changing due to the difficulty of getting workers and rising costs.

"I have talked to a lot of farmers and it seems these sheep will return more money per hectare," Mr Logie said.

He paid $10,600 for a son of another sire that was well represented by high price progeny 207109 and although he was losing bidder on numerous high price ewes, he still picked up four for up to $5600 and $4800 average.

MORE RAM SALE STORIES:

The top-priced WA buyer was Anthony McDonald and Pamela Sharp, Kuloomba Farming, Mt Howick, who bid to $16,500 for another 207109 son.

Mr McDonald said they had a background of White Suffolks but bought their first UltraWhite ram last year to have a dabble.

His selection had excellent PWWT and PFAT figures but his main focus was good structure and the bonus was the ram had virtually no tail.

He planned to join it to White Suffolk-UltraWhite ewe lambs and run a side-by-side comparison for the next few years.

He was another who acknowledged that wool was getting more difficult saying it was not that people were tired of wool but they were tired of the work and cost in getting it from the sheep to the bale.

There was a total of 13 rams that fetched more than $10,000 and only three were destined to remain in WA.

The only other high price ram staying here was bought by RF Fisher & Co, Beverley, for $10,000, who bought a second sheep for $6000.

Other significant prices were $15,750 paid by phone bidder Leroy Hull, GV Hull Nominees Pty Ltd, Kattata Well stud, Mt Cooper, South Australia.

Mr Hull also was a major ewe buyer succeeding on 12 ewes for up to $4000.

It was by 198155, one of two sires that dominated with high price sons that included another sold for $10,400 to Cameron Tweed, Deniliquin, New South Wales.

WA currently has five UltraWhite sheep studs and Nathan Ditchburn, Golden Hill stud, Kukerin, said the breed was performing well for them under commercial conditions.

He bought four ewes paying up to $5200 twice and $5400 for a high indexing ram that had good 10.97 PWWT and 2.92 PEMD figures.

He said the only thing holding back the breed was the lack of ewe numbers at the moment.

It is a certainty the number of WA studs will increase with former commercial breeders John and Julie Snooke, Cunderdin, planning to set up East Avon stud based on the purchase of a $7800 ram and eight ewes for up to $4600.

Mr Snooke swapped Merinos for shedding sheep eight years ago to graze his non-arable land and has since built up a 500-head pure commercial ewe flock and has enjoyed it to the point where they have enlisted the help of former Poll Dorset breeder Perry Jasper to take it to the next level.

There were 71 names on the buying register excluding those buying through AuctionsPlus and 25 of them were first time buyers demonstrating the explosive popularity of the breed in all areas from Esperance to Margaret River to Northampton.

With the addition of AuctionsPlus names the buying register extended to 115 but despite the huge list of potential buyers commercial clients, accustomed to Hillcroft Farms' values, bid solidly to pick up a good share of rams.

They included Bowey Ventures, Kulin, which bought seven rams for up to $3000 and another return buyer Davina Enterprises, Wongan Hills, also bought seven for up to $5000.

Some other high price local buyers were Green Gables Pty Ltd, Kojonup, which bought rams for $8400 and $6400; Paul Williams Family Trust, Albany, paid $7200; Brent Watson, Margaret River, bought at $6400; Guns Gully Farming, Esperance, bought at $5600 and $4200; EF & SL Blechynden, Pingelly, bought at $7600 and $5400; Hoggart Family Trust, Esperance, bought at $5200; and Wellstead Farming Pty Ltd, Borderdale, bought at $6000.

WA buyers were hard pushed to take a slice of the stud ewe offering with just 28 of the 100 offered destined to remain in WA.

The dominant buyer was Bundara Downs stud which seemingly had no budget paying most of the high prices to get ewes at the $6600 top and others at $6400, $6000, $5800, $55200, $4600 and $4200 as they collected a line of 10.

Another prominent buyer was Raheen Ag, a partnership of two former Merino breeders Sandy Symons and Bede Schiller from Hay, New South Wales, who saw an opportunity to start a small stud of shedding sheep.

Mr Symons said UltraWhites had become popular for their easy-care, no-shearing, high fertility, high carcase yield and hardiness in their harsh conditions.

"UltraWhites fitted the criteria we were looking for and Dawson has given us a terrific and detailed introduction to the breed showing us around his farming operation," Mr Symons said.

They bought 10 ewes for up to $4600 before paying $5400 for one of the higher indexing rams.

Stoney Enterprises, Gnowellen, bought three ewes for $4800 (2) and $2000 and JD & JM Snooke, paid $4600, $4400 and $4300 for the best of their eight.

HA & SA Panizza & Co, Williams, which currently has 500 commercial UltraWhites bought three ewes for $2000 as well as seven rams for between $3000 and $3800 (2).

The final WA ewe buyer was TK & MJ Cheetham, Cheetara stud, Narembeen, which picked up two ewes for $2400 and $2000 and a ram for $3800 by the highly successful young sire 207109.

Three pens each comprising 200 purebred commercial ewe lambs were offered for the first time and WA buyers ensured two of them stayed locally.

Graham Moir, Glenelg Estate, Amelup, opened the sale with a winning $500 a head bid but it was Johnston Plains, Nyabing, that set the $550/head top for the third pen on offer.

AuctionsPlus was successful on lot two at $520/head.