Dinninup ram sale makes $2000 twice and a $1186 average

Vendors were understandably nervous before Elders auctioneer Pearce Watling started selling but he twice extracted the $2000 top price and, for at least some, there were sighs of relief with better-than-expected prices and clearances.

The sale followed a best-ever result in 2021 when 55 potential buyers registered to get a share of the 108-ram offering, resulting in a $1588 overall average.

This year's fixture delivered some mixed results in a return to the traditionally erratic selling pattern of past sales and although a big crowd attended just 31 registered to buy from the 146-ram offering.

By the end of the day vendors recorded a 72 per cent clearance and a $1186 average, which was a $402 decline on last year.

The sale has undergone some significant upheavals in the past few years with a number of big studs opting to hold on-property sales.

This year with the extra space in the shed there was a welcome rule change that increased the number of rams each vendor could offer and the two main vendors seized the opportunity to do so.

White Suffolks have performed consistently at the sale over many years and none better than Wayne, Robyn and William White, Blackwood stud, Dinninup.

They were one of two vendors who entered their full allotment of 40 rams and cleared every one of them under competition from a mainly local contingent of repeat buyers.

They topped the sale twice, first when $2000 was successfully bid by Tristan Mead, Dinninup, then again when farm manager Marc Deas bought four rams for Rylington Park Research Station, Boyup Brook, paying $1900, $1800 and $1700 for the others.

Mr Mead has been buying Blackwood White Suffolks for 15 years and his knowledge, based on experience, gave him the confidence to bid to some of the highest prices for his team of six.

Mr Mead said he picked rams that had multiple birth status, low birth weight and good early growth to use over his Prolific ewes in a drive to push lambing percentage further than the 150-160pc he is currently getting.

He intended to join about 1500 ewes to White Suffolks and aimed to get the lambs off as suckers as quickly as possible.

His six rams cost a $1800 average and included the $1900 equal second top price paid jointly with Rylington Park and DV Brockman & Co, Manjimup, who bought two rams.

Two other main buyers were DJ & RP Gibbs, Boyup Brook, who bought six for up to $1300 (3) and DR & MA Moffat, Moonyanooka, who bought six for up to $1600.

Blackwood recorded a $1455 average, equal with 2021 and stud co-principal Robyn White said she was more than pleased and a bit surprised, saying with the lack of warm weather she felt the line-up did not have the same bloom as last year.

Equally pleased was Jim and Judy Maddams, Bridgetown, whose Penwortham White Suffolks were one of only a couple of studs that carried comprehensive Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs).

The auctioneer moved onto their rams next and although the eight-ram team was sold to established buyers, they were pushed by Blackwood clients who still needed a few extra.

The extra competition gave Penwortham a boost of $471 in average to be $1388 for eight rams, significantly better than the $917 for six rams in 2021.

Luke Smith, Ramit Farms, Boyup Brook, bought five rams including one of the two $1700 top-priced rams and Paula Waters, Waters Avondale Grazing Co, Sunnyside, also paid $1700 and took home the remaining three.

The third White Suffolk vendor was Peter Samwell, Ironstone Ridge, Boyup Brook, who returned to the sale after an absence in 2021 and presented 10 rams.

He sold six to AC Chapman & Son, Boyup Brook, for $900 (4) and $800 (2) to average $867 overall.

Wendy Cochrane and Robert Ivey, Moss Hill stud, Balingup, took advantage of the opportunity to increase numbers even though the indicators in the Border Leicester world suggested there would be no scorching demand for first-cross ewes coming from eastern Australia this year.

Without the speculators who supplied this trade and drove up prices they were prepared for a drop in fortunes and were pleasantly surprised when 29 of their 40 rams sold for $1131.

This compared with last year when all 30 rams sold at auction for a $2373 average.

This year it was business as usual for clients who have been happy to gain the benefits of the breed's high fertility in their own prime lamb flocks.

The top price buyers were Ian McDonald and Denise Chambers, JV & CE McDonald, Gnowangerup, who bought six rams and paid the $1700 top for a 122-kilogram Superborder ram with a full set of ASBVs.

Ms Chambers said they had been using Border Leicesters over Merinos for about seven years to breed first-cross ewes which were then joined to either White Suffolks or Poll Dorsets.

They had taken advantage of the high prices offered by Eastern State buyers and reduced their flock size but still retained a small purebred nucleus to breed a few flock rams for their own use.

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They ran about 1300 ewes and with the good season they had recorded 125 per cent lambs that had done exceptionally well this year.

Ms Chambers said for getting early suckers off to market the first-cross ewes had the "best udders".

They paid $1500 and $1400 for other rams.

Others to pay some of the higher prices were Rob Imrie, trading as J,G,R & L Imrie, Boyup Brook, who bought six for up to $1500, DV Brockman & Co, twice bought at $1600, McCourt Farms, Boyup Brook, bought two for $1300 and Baboo Pastoral Co, Greenrange, bought five at lesservalues to be a volume buyer.

Ms Cochrane said the result was in line with expectations for the year but she was most pleased to see new buyers operating.

Leicesterland stud owned by Jamann Corker, Walliston, did not sell at last year's sale and had a tough time clearance-wise selling just five of its 20 rams for $800 each to KS & LJ Chambers, Kulikup.

Richard Philipps and Sally Larkin, Karinya stud, Boyup Brook, had pre-sale concerns that were unfounded when all eight rams cleared with ease as a result of new buyer H & A Norton & Sons farm manager Ron Bingham pitching in with extra competition to take home five for $800 each.

After a lack lustre result at Kojonup earlier in the week they were apprehensive and their priority was to achieve a full clearance.

CJS Shearing, Boyup Brook, and RM & LJ Maugher, Mullalyup, each paid the $1000 top while the remaining ram was bought by MS & PE Chambers, Dinninup, for $900 to give the stud an $863 average compared with $1200 last year.

Peter Samwell's Ironstone Ridge Poll Dorset stud, Boyup Brook, had the task of kicking off the sale and after an absence from the 2021 event it achieved only average results clearing six of the 14 rams offered for $700 each.

Elders Bridgetown Boyup Brook representative Brendon Mead held a buying order from Ken Armstrong, Kirralee Pty Ltd, Bridgetown, who bought all rams with Mr Mead saying the Armstrong family turned off 1000-1200 prime lambs annually with great success.

"They are always very good lambs," Mr Mead said.

"He feeds his country and his sheep well and could make a rock fat."

The auction closed with the only Merino sheep represented - six well-presented fine wool rams offered by Jamann Corker, Silverdale stud, Boyup Brook.

Three of the six cleared to give an improved $700 average, up $100 on last year.

This year DR & MA Moffat, Donnybrook, bought a single ram for the $800 top price and the other two were bought by Woodfalls, Mayanup, $650 each.