LIKE last year buyers again braved cold, wintery conditions at the Angenup 45th annual on-property ram sale at Kojonup but that they didn't let it deter them in their bidding as they pushed prices to a high of $5500 for a Merino ram in a very solid and consistent sale.
Once again the Norrish family presented a very even and quality line-up of rams displaying the rich, white wools and constitutions the Angenup stud is renowned and buyers responded accordingly.
Right from the opening call the 27 registered buyers from as far away as York to the north and Karridale in the south west showed their support for the offering and this support continued right to the last ram.
As a result the Elders selling team led by the auctioneering tag team of Nathan King and James Culleton had no problems finding new homes for the offering of 229 rams.
When they knocked down the final ram the Norrish family had cleared all 229 rams to 26 buyers at an average of $2132, which was back a minimal $46 on last year.
In last year's sale the stud offered and sold 234 rams for an average of $2178 and its top two prices in the sale were $20,000 and $15,500, which was well above this year's top, indicating just how solid and consistent this year's sale was.
Broken down, 147 Merinos rams were offered and sold under the hammer for an average of $2168, up $202 on last year's sale when 164 Merinos sold at an average of $1966.
There was also a total clearance of the 82 Poll Merinos offered and these sold to an average of $2068, down from $2673 last year when 70 head were offered and sold.
Like previous Angenup sales, the top end of the market was again strong and attracted solid bidding from commercial producers who know the product and have been using it for years, but that said there was still buying opportunities for buyers with lower budgets who could fill their orders between $800 and $1200 when the heat came off later in the sale.
Mr King said overall it was another very strong sale with a very good clearance for the Norrish family and the line-up of rams were a credit to the stud.
"Like previous Angenup sales there was again good support from long term buyers which know the product and many of these purchased large teams," Mr King said,
"It was a consistent and solid sale right through with no extreme highs like last year and I think this was a reflection of the evenness of the sale team from start to finish.
"A good example of this evenness and quality right through is I class for one of the large volume buyers and we had no problems finding their requirements anywhere in the team.
"Today they were still buying in the last row.
"If buyers want numbers they have no problems filling their orders at Angenup as the quality runs very deep.
"The stud again this year increased its Poll numbers and the depth in this section of the stud continues to grow and buyers are appreciating the opportunity of more Poll numbers to choose from."
The sale featured 11 March shorn rams which averaged 20.0 micron, 3.2 SD and 99.2 per cent comfort factor (CF) when tested in June, while the remainder of the catalogue was made up of early May shorn rams that averaged 18.2 micron, 3.6 SD and 99.5pc CF at shearing in May.
Eight March shorn rams kicked the sale off and it was in these pens that the day's $5500 top-priced ram was found.
When Mr King stood over the upstanding, deep-bodied 129 kilogram Merino in lot two, he took an opening bid of $3000 and from there the price passed the $5000 mark.
In the end it was long term Angenup client Tom Marshall, TG Marshall, Cranbrook, whose name is synonymous with buying the stud's top-priced rams year-in and year-out that was written in the clerking sheets as the buyer at $5500.
Along with being impressive on the eye the long-stapled, quality woolled ram had the wool figures to match at +2.1 for micron above the March team average, 3.5 SD, 99.4pc CF and a greasy fleece weight (GFW) of 116pc.
But Mr Marshall, who has been buying from the stud for more than 25 years, didn't stop there in his buying and with the support of his agent Troy Hornby, Nutrien Livestock, Kojonup, the pair purchased another five Merino rams to finish with a team of six at an average of $4525.
Mr Marshall's team also included the sale's $4750 second top-priced ram, a March shorn Merino, which was penned next to the sale topper in lot three.
This bright woolled 129kg sire had wool figures of +2.0 micron, 2.8 SD, 99.7pc CF and a 120pc GFW percentage.
Mr Hornby said the two top-priced rams were excellent Merino sires.
"They both had beautiful structures and good growth," Mr Hornby said.
"They also have very good long-stapled white wools and there is plenty of it.
"We are always looking for rams with wool quality and wool cut."
Also in the team heading to Mr Marshall's property were two rams at the sale's $4500 equal third top price.
He paid this value for a 130kg March shorn ram that was in lot one and had with wool figures of +0.3 micron, 2.9 SD, 99.2pc CF and 128pc GFW percentage and for a May shorn ram offered that weighed 128kg and had wool figures of -0.1 micron, 3.5 SD, 99.7pc CF and 102pc GFW percentage.
When it came to the top-priced Poll Merino it sold at the sale's $4500 equal third top price to first time buyer Jarrad Beech, Rothbury stud, Tenterden.
Mr Beech said he picked the 125kg ram out at the sale and was impressed by both its structure and wool quality.
"He has very good depth of body and a quality, bold crimping, white wool," Mr Beech said.
The stylish woolled, deep-bodied March shorn ram sire had wool figures of +2.0 micron, 3.2 SD, 99.5pc CF and 134pc GFW percentage.
Mr Beech intends to use the ram as a back-up sire in his AI breeding program in which he will join 150 Poll Merino ewes.
The next best price was $4100 and it was achieved twice by two May shorn Merino rams in consecutive pens.
The first buyer to collect a ram at $4100 was buyer of 15 years Rob Melchiorre, Melchiorre Farms, Narrogin, who bid with the support of his classer and Elders stud stock representative Kevin Broad.
At $4100 Mr Melchiorre collected a long-bodied, great woolled ram which weighed 108kg and had wool figures of +0.8 micron, 3.6 SD, 99.8pc CF and a 100pc GFW percentage.
Along with this ram Mr Melchiorre, who was chasing rams that had good frames and soft, white wools, purchased another seven Merinos and seven Poll Merinos for between $1900 and $3800 to finish with a team of 15 at an average of $2850.
Mr Melchiorre said he has continued to buy from the Norrish family for an extended period because they bred rams with good size that cut plenty of quality wool.
"They also have very good uniformity across their rams and the progeny the rams produce are also very consistent and even," Mr Melchiorre said.
The second ram to sell at $4100 which showed good carcase and wool traits was purchased by the Climie family, PS Climie & Co, Cranbrook, who have been buying from the stud for 10 years.
It weighed in at 130kg and its wool measured +1.8 micron, 3.7 SD, 99.2pc CF and it had a huge GFW percentage of 130pc.
Also heading to the Climie's Cranbrook property to join their sire battery, which will be joined to 3400 ewes this year, were two Merino rams and two Poll Merinos to give a total of five at an average of $3760.
Peter Climie said it was the wool quality of the Angenup sheep which kept them going back to the stud.
"They have quality white wools that suit our area and our rainfall," Mr Climie said.
"They are good productive sheep that not only produce a quality wool but they also cut well."
MORE RAM SALE STORIES:
Along with joining 3400 ewes to Merinos this season the Climie family will join another 1400 Merino ewes to Suffolk rams.
When it comes to their wethers the Climie family run them through to three years old before selling them as mutton to Fletchers International.
As well as these buyers there were a number of other return clients that weren't afraid to bid strongly for big teams and the most influential of these was long term Williams buyers Patrick and Helen Williamson, who have been buying from the stud since 1987.
The Williamson worked their they way through the catalogue and finished the day with a team of 13 Merinos at an average of $2977 and to a top of $3900 paid for a 114kg May shorn ram with wool figures of -0.4 micron, 3.3 SD, 99.9pc CF and a 96pc GFW percentage.
Like the Williamsons, fellow long term buyer Rob Leusciatti, M & L Leusciatti & Sons, Kojonup, showed a preference for Merino rams and ended the sale with a team of 14 Merino sires to a top of $3500 and average of $2500.
Mr Leusciatti said he still had a preference to buy Merino rams as they were a truer sheep and he supported the stud because it bred rams with excellent wool quality that suited the Kojonup area.
This season the Leusciatti family will join 3500 ewes to Merino sires and 1500 Merino ewes to Poll Dorsets for a May/June lambing and will be hoping to achieve a lambing percentage similar to this year which was 110pc for ewes joined.
While the Williamsons and the Leusciatti family only purchased Merino rams it was the reverse for repeat buyer
C & KA Tomlinson, Tenterden, which purchased only Poll rams.
In the sale the Tomlinsons purchased eight Polls to a top of $3750 and an average of $2756.
By far the biggest buyer in the sale again this year was Ben and George Fowler, Congeling Park Grazing Co, Williams, who amassed a team of 47 rams (34 Merinos and 13 Polls), which was 11 more rams than last year.
They paid to a top of $3700 for a 114kg May shorn Merino ram with wool figures of +0.6 micron, 3.6 SD and 99.4pc CF and averaged $2368 across their large team.
This year represented the 20th year of buying from the stud for the Fowler family and George Fowler said they continue to return because they like the consistency and productivity of the Angenup sheep.
"They have good fine-medium wools and do well in our area," he said.
"Today we were looking for well-structured rams with good constitutions and bright, white wools."
The Fowlers run a large Merino flock over properties at Williams and Boyup Brook which are joined to both Merino rams and White Suffolk sires.
Another return buyer, who wasn't afraid to bid on the rams he really wanted was Byran Cowcher, MA & GD & BA Cowcher, Williams, who purchased six Merinos and two Polls to a top of $2700 five times and an average of $2488.
One of the rams Mr Cowcher purchased at $2700 rams held special significance in the catalogue as its proceeds were being donated by the Norrish family to the hearing For Liz Pink Day fundraiser charity for Breast Cancer Research - WA.
While there were many buyers which purchased teams at top money there was also a number of buyers which purchased double figure teams at less than the sale average and they included Twin Oaks Farming Co, Wandering (16 rams, $1456 average), Scolari Farms, Kojonup (13, $969), Blackwood Grazing, Karridale (11, $1645) and IH & J & SJ & JM Lawrence, Cranbrook (10, $1860).
