A LARGE line-up of quality Brimfield Poll Dorset and White Suffolk sires were on offer at the stud's annual on-property ram sale at Kendenup.
Buyers travelled from the local region and from further afield, from areas ranging from Donnybrook, out to Wagin and Katanning and as far south as Wellstead to support the sale and secure the Brimfield genetics.
A total of 125 rams were offered and by the end of the sale 101 rams had sold under the hammer for an overall average of $1157 and a 81 per cent clearance.
There were 93 White Suffolks on offer, with 80 sold at an average of $1195 and 32 Poll Dorset sires offered, with 21 sold to an average of $1014.
Elders Mt Barker representative Dean Wallinger said he was pleased with the outcome and the quality of the rams offered.
"It was a solid sale price-wise in the White Suffolk offering, but down a bit in terms of demand with the Poll Dorsets," Mr Wallinger said.
"It was slightly down on buyer numbers compared to last year but there was great local support.
"The rams were presented very well and the quality was outstanding."
Spirited bidding on all fronts from both new and loyal return buyers pushed the top-price to $3600 for a White Suffolk ram.
The pen 34 ram sold to return buyer AT & JI Watterson & Son, Tenterden, the Watterson family's only purchase for the day.
The May 2021-drop ram had Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) of 0.54 birthweight (BWT), 11.15 weaning weight (WWT), 17.79 post weaning weight (PWWT), -0.23 post weaning fat (PFAT), 2.3 post weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD) and a TCP index of 151.76.
The Wattersons were also top-priced ram buyers at the 2021 Brimfield sale.
"We have been buying from the Brimfield stud for many, many years now," Nerida Watterson said.
"We have a breeding program at our property and we always buy a stud ram from the stud to breed rams for our own use.
"We put our White Suffolk rams over Prime SAMM-Merino ewes.
"We tend to put our rams out in January for an early joining."
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The second and third top-priced rams sold consecutively in pens 35 and 36.
Arcane Livestock, Donnybrook, swooped in and paid the second top price of $3000 for a White Suffolk ram.
The $3000 gem was the Donnybrook buyer's only purchase for the day and it had ASBVs of 0.43 BWT, 9.43 WWT, 15.44 PWWT, -0.56 PFAT, 2.03 PEMD and a TCP index of 145.5.
Trailing closely behind was the third top-priced ram selling to the Edwards family, KM Edwards, Wagin, at $2900.
This ram had ASBVs of 0.36 BWT, 9.36 WWT, 13.84 PWWT, -0.65 PFAT, 1.8 PEMD and a TCP index of 139.7.
Volume buyers in the White Suffolk offering were Kojaneerup-based, MA & PK Wood, which managed to take home a team of 13 rams at an average of $1008.
The Woods paid to a top of $1400 for a ram with ASBVs of 0.28 BWT, 10.02 WWT, 15.27 PWWT, 0.27 PFAT, 1.72 PEMD and a TCP index of 142.81.
Local buyers GT & JF Couper, Mt Barker, also took home a large trailer-load of 12 rams at an average price of $1075 and paid their own top-price of $1400, twice.
Also securing an impressive volume team was KR & LA Tooke, Boyup Brook, which paid an average of $1700 for 10 rams to a top of $2000, twice.
Wellstead buyers, Gorman Pastoral, loaded up seven White Suffolk rams after the sale, paying to a top of $1200, averaging $914.
The Poll Dorset offering reached an 86pc clearance, with the top-priced ram in this section selling for $3000.
HR Brooks & Co, travelled from Bridgetown to purchase only one ram for the day and bought the $3000 classy ram in pen one, starting the sale strongly.
Their Poll Dorset ram had ASBVs of 0.46 BWT, 9.64 WWT, 14.58 PWWT, -1.11 PFAT, 0.5 PEMD and a TCP index of 133.
The second top-priced Poll Dorset ram was knocked down at $2500 to Chowerup Farming Company, Chowerup.
This ram in pen three closely trailed the top-priced ram in the offering and had ASBVs 0.53 BWT, 9.51 WWT, 14.43 PWWT, -0.83 PFAT, 0.73 PEMD and a TCP index to 132.
The main volume buyer eager to secure Brimfield's Poll Dorset genetics was Tenterden- based C & KA Tomlinson.
The Tomlinson family, who are return buyers, managed to pick up 10 of the 32 rams on offer for an average of $920 and to a top of $1300.
WA College of Agriculture - Denmark farm manager Kevin Marshall made the trek to the Brimfield property and put together a small team of four rams to an average of $1000 and a top of $1300.
Among the college's purchases was the pen seven ram which sold for $800.
This ram was offered by the Brimfield stud with all the proceeds from it going to the Shearing For Liz Pink Day fundraising initiative for breast cancer research.
Brimfield co-principal Max Whyte said he was pleased with the day's outcome.
"The sale went well," Mr Whyte said.
"We could've done with a few extra buyers, but we still sold 101 rams.
"There were some new buyers but mostly return buyers at this year's sale."
Mr Whyte said they had a better line-up of rams this year.
"They are getting better every year," Mr Whyte said.
"We would like to thank all the buyers and underbidders for coming to the sale."
