Westerdale on-property Poll Merino ram sale at McAlinden averages $2067

Right from the opening call of Elders auctioneer Nathan King to the last ram in the line-up, prices varied very little, ensuring a very even sale result for the Jackson family with no extreme high and low prices.

Once again the Jacksons presented a very even line of quality, bright, white woolled rams with good cutting ability and the line-up was appreciated by a long list of return buyers, who know what the genetics can do.

When the final ram was knocked down by Mr King, the stud had cleared 139 out of 140 rams under the hammer to 21 different buyers from the local area and as far away as Ravensthorpe, to a top of $4750 and an average of $2067, which was back $436 on last year.

In comparison, last year the stud sold 133 from 140 rams to a top of $10,750 and an average of $2503.

Mr King said it was a solid and consistent sale for the Jackson family with strong bidding right through the catalogue with a ram in the last row making $3000.

"Yet again it was a very even line-up and a typical presentation of Westerdale rams that have bright, white wools that can handle the wetter environments," Mr King said

"The extremely solid sale result was built around the stud's long-time clients.

"The stud has a strong, consistent clientele who have supported the Jacksons for a long time and they were all back again this year to fill their ram requirements.

"From a Westerdale point of view seeing this strong support from buyers year in and year out, indicates the clients are very happy with the Westerdale product and what the genetics are doing on their properties.

"While many of these buyers are local there are still a number of which travel from as far away as Ravensthorpe, Gnowangerup and Pingelly and down to Mt Barker which shows the Westerdale sheep are suited to a wide area not just Boyup Brook."

With a very good even line-up of rams, it was easy to see why the sale was solid and consistent throughout and as a result rams in the last row rams were still making up to $3000.

Along with presenting extremely well despite a wet winter, the rams also had very good wool figures to match.

The team's average May wool figures were 18.1 micron, 3.5 SD, 19.0 CV, 99.7 per cent comfort factor (CF) and a 4.6 kilogram greasy fleece weight (GFW) for six months' growth.

With such an even offering of rams it was always going to be hard to find a standout but buyers did in lot 10 when it stood out just little bit more than the rest and captured the attention of a couple of buyers.

Mr King took an opening bid of $3000 on the big, square ram which had an exceptionally bright, crimpy wool and from there a couple of buyers fought it out to take the ram home.

Eventually it was return buyer of more than 10 years, the Rhodes family, Rhodes Pastoral Pty Ltd, Boyup Brook, bidding through its sheep manager Phil Corker, which had the final bid at the day's $4750 top price on the Wallaloo Park 226 son.

Mr Corker said they were particularly chasing a Wallaloo Park 226 son to be a new bloodline in their flock.

"I have been watching the progeny of Wallaloo Park 226 since it was sold to the Seymour Park and Kamora Park stud's in 2020 for $76,000 and have been impressed, so we were just waiting for the chance to get a son and this one ticked all the boxes," Mr Corker said.

"He is a big, plain-bodied ram with a good free-growing wool.

"He has early maturity and good carcase traits with the renowned Westerdale wool quality."

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The upstanding ram had wool figures of 18.9 micron, 3.4 SD, 17.9 CV, 99.9pc CF and a 5.1kg GFW to go with a faecal egg count (FEC) of zero.

The Rhodes' buying spree continued when it also paid the day's $4500 second top price for a ram carrying Willandra bloodlines, which Mr Corker said had a quality, free-growing, long-stapled white wool.

"He is also a reasonably big ram with length and depth of body," Mr Corker said.

The stylish woolled ram, which had an excellent make and shape, had wool figures of 16.8 micron, 3.2 SD, 18.8 CV, 99.9pc CF and 4.3kg GFW plus a FEC of 100.

Rhodes Pastoral finished with a team of four rams at an average of $4013.

Also in the team was one of the day's $4000 equal third top-priced rams which had a cracking wool and a good long body.

It had wool figures of 19.7 micron, 3.6 SD, 18.3 CV, 99.7pc CF and a 5.4kg GFW.

Mr Corker said they would most likely use their top three purchases in the operation's nucleus flock of 1500 ewes to breed rams for their own use.

Rhodes Pastoral's flock has been based on Westerdale bloodlines since 2004 and Mr Corker said they liked it because the sheep were bred for their environment.

"We could go looking for bigger framed rams from the Wheatbelt but we believe these grow out just as well but more importantly they have the white, bright wools we need for our wetter environment," Mr Corker said.

"They have really good wool cuts and top carcase weights."

This year the enterprise is looking to join 15,000 ewes to Poll Merino rams for a May/June lambing and another 10,000 Merino ewes to White Suffolk rams for a May lambing.

Return buyer of seven years John Rutherford, IG & SB Rutherford & Sons, Duranillin, who likes the Westerdale genetics because they suit his area and also have a good wool, was the other buyer to go to the day's $4000 equal third top price when he paid this value for a well-nourished, stylish woolled ram in pen three.

The white, crimpy woolled ram had wool figures of 17.5 micron, 3.2 SD, 18.5 CV, 99.9pc CF and 4.9kg GFW.

Mr Rutherford said the ram had a good body size and a long-stapled, quality white wool.

"I will use this ram in our nucleus flock of 150 ewes to breed rams for our own use," Mr Rutherford said.

Along with securing this ram, he purchased another eight rams to finish the day with a ute load of nine at an average of $2700.

Boyup Brook producers Ronald and Helen Tuckett, RL & HM Tuckett, who have supported the stud since its foundation in 1978, like Mr Rutherford, weren't afraid to bid strongly on the rams they wanted.

They finished with eight rams to a top of $3700 and at an average of $3113 to be probably the most influential buyers on the day.

Their top price purchase was an 18.9 micron, 99.8pc CF ram with a 5.7kg GFW.

Mr Tuckett said he was a repeat buyer from the stud as the Westerdale sheep have the wool quality to withstand the higher rainfall of the Boyup Brook area.

"They have bright, white, soft wools and good frames but most importantly they really suit out environment," Mr Tuckett said.

The Tucketts' mature ewe flock averages 18.5 micron and a 5.6kg cut.

This year they are looking to join 2700 ewes to Poll Merinos and another 1700 Merino ewes to Poll Dorset rams for a July/August lambing.

Last year they achieved a 96pc lambing percentage to ewes joined in their Merino flock and a 102pc percentage in the Poll Dorset joining.

Another long-term buyer to feature strongly in the clerking sheets and taking home 10 rams were clients since 1978, Martin, Debra and Justin Carroll, Carroll Family Enterprises, Boyup Brook.

The Carrolls, who will join 2400 ewes to Poll Merino sires this season, paid to a top of $3300 and averaged $2550 across their team.

Ms Carroll said they were looking for rams with 17 to 18 micron white wools that had good cutting ability and good constitutions.

Other buyers to average more than $2500 for more than two rams were DG Hansberry, Orchid Valley, which purchased two at a $3150 average. while DR & SE Earnshaw, Bowelling, averaged $2567 across three rams and Marlo Farms, Gnowangerup, collected seven at a $2557 average.

After collecting the volume buyer title last year David Inglis, Bondfield Farm, Boyup Brook, backed it up again this year when he went home with 16 rams at an average of $2231 and to a top of $2800 three times.

Mr Inglis, whose family has purchased from the stud for more than 40 years, said he was chasing heavy cutting rams with 17 to 18 micron wools.

This year Mr Inglis said they would be upping their Merino joining numbers to 2400 head and not joining any ewes to terminal sires.

"We have decided to go all Merinos as we are getting good results with our wool," Mr Inglis said.

Currently the Inglis family's mature sheep average 18.1 micron and have a 5.2kg wool cut when shorn in March.

There were another three buyers to collect double figure teams and they were Stretch Enterprises, Kojonup, which purchased 11 rams at an average of $2027, while JS & LP Jackson, Bowelling and the Vander Wielen family, McAlinden, both purchased 10 rams at averages of $1140 and $1170 respectively.