Kaya Dorper and White Dorper Production Sale at Narrogin reaches $12,300

Right through the quality offering of rams and ewes, buyers in both the shed and those operating over the phone, as well as on AuctionsPlus, were strong in the bidding as they chased the animals which best suited their requirements, ensuring a successful result for all involved.

In the sale prices hit a high of $12,300 for a White Dorper ram and $2600 for a Dorper ewe from the Kaya stud.

As a result of the strong local and Eastern States' enquiry, the Veitch family, Kaya stud, along with the Prieska Dorper stud, Mt Barker, Dalma Dorper stud, Narrogin and the Sundridge White Dorper stud, Spencers Brook, which sold by invitation, achieved a total clearance over the 187 rams and ewes offered.

The AuctionsPlus platform played a major role when it came to the interstate purchases in the sale conducted by Elders in conjunction with Nutrien Livestock, with the catalogue receiving 2187 views and 22 online bidders being active.

All up there were 1534 online bids placed across 128 lots, resulting in 68 being purchased online by 18 buyers based in WA, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria.

In the ram offering all 106 rams sold for an average of $3085, which was back $22 on last year, while the ewe side saw 81 head offered and sold for an average of $1575, which was up $356 on the 2021 sale.

In comparison, in the sale last year 84 rams were offered and sold to a top of $6400 and an average of $3107, while there were 49 from 51 ewes sold to top of $2750 and an average of $1219.

Elders stud stock prime lamb specialist Michael O'Neill said it was a red hot sale from start to finish and was another indication of how strong the demand for shedding sheep was currently.

"There was strong Eastern States' buying support right through the sale as usual and it was backed up by very good local buying support," Mr O'Neill said.

"It was the best line-up of rams and ewes I have seen offered by the Kaya stud, especially for type, shedding ability and structure.

"Not only do they have all the physical traits but they also have very good sets of numbers to go with them.

"The three daughter studs which offered in the sale also presented excellent line-ups and their sheep all matched in exceptionally well with the Kaya animals.

"It was a very consistent and even line-up throughout.

"The ewes offered were of exceptional quality and depth and were equal to genuine dispersal lines and they certainly offered people a very good starting point if they were establishing new flocks.

The Dorper rams opened the sale and there was strong demand for these from buyers, resulting in all 55 rams offered selling under the hammer for an average of $3024 and a top price of $10,400 paid for a ram from the Prieska stud.

Achieving the $10,400 was the first ram offered in the run of four Prieska rams when it was sold to David Stade, Stade Farming, Katanning and his livestock manager Riaan Lienbenberg.

Mr Lienbenberg said the main reason they purchased the sire was for its bloodlines.

"His bloodlines go back to a large breeder in South Africa and I like his sheep a lot," Mr Lienbenberg said.

"We also believed he was the standout ram in the shed.

"He is well-balanced, structurally sound with plenty of meat.

"We will use him in our nucleus flock of 200 ewes to breed rams for our own use."

The 97 kilogram ram was an August 2021-drop, type 5 son of Prieska 170774.

Along with purchasing the top-priced Dorper ram, Stade Farming also secured two Kaya Dorper rams at $3700 and $3000.

The Stades have been running Dorpers for 20 years and this year will join 5000 Dorper and White Dorper ewes.

All up the four Prieska rams sold to an average of $5350 and along with the $10,400 top price, it saw prices of $4700 paid by a buyer operating on AuctionsPlus and $4000 bid by Hammans Place, Fairbridge, which was the losing bidder on the top-priced ram.

When it came to the offering of Dorper rams from the Kaya stud, it offered and sold 39 sires to a top of $7000 and an average of $3092.

The $7000 top-priced Kaya Dorper ram was purchased by the Batten family, Douwana stud, Yuna, which operated through AuctionsPlus.

Kim Batten said the ram was a well-balanced sire for its size and carried plenty of meat in all the right spots

"You can't fault him physically and he also has the figures to back him up," Mr Batten.

"He is in the top 10pc for the MCP index and top 30pc for growth which is what we want.

"It is hard to find Dorper studs using ASBVs and they are important to us.

"We were also chasing his fertility as we want to keep this up in our flock.

"He is a twin out of a maiden ewe and his sister is now rearing twins at 15 months.

The long-bodied, well-muscled 95.5kg ram is a May 2021-drop son of Kaya 190496.

It ranks in the top 10pc for dressing percentage (Dress) at 2.9 and the maternal carcase production (MCP) index at 144.6 plus top 30pc for weaning weight (WWT) at 6.9, post weaning weight (PWWT) at 11.8 and lean meat yield (LMY) at 2.7.

MORE RAM SALE STORIES:

Nutrien Livestock, Narrogin agent Ashley Lock, relaying the AuctionsPlus bids, was kept busy during the Kaya run as not only was the stud's top-priced ram sold through AuctionsPlus there were another nine rams sold to online bidders from WA, NSW, South Australia and Victoria for between $2100 and $4000.

The second top price in the Kaya offering was $6300 paid by the Sheridan family, Prairie Downs station, Bourke, New South Wales, who bid over the phone and used Elders Narrogin representative Jeff Brown to relay their bids.

The Sheridans, who have been buying from the stud for more than five years and started running Dorpers in 2000, went to $6300 for a 94.5kg son of Kaya 200520 that ranked in the top 10pc for LMY and top 30pc for WWT, PWWT, number lambs weaned (NLW) and the MCP index.

Along with this ram the Sheridans secured another six Kaya sires to finish with six at an average of $3643.

Matching the Sheridans in the volume stakes in the Kaya offering were clients of more than 10 years Rick and Colleen Beatty, RJ & CM Beatty, Cadoux, who left a buying order with Nutrien Livestock Breeding representative Roy Addis.

Mr Addis worked his way through the offering and finished with seven rams for the Beattys to a top of $3100 and an average of $2571.

The Dalma stud offered and sold 12 rams to a top of $2900 and an average of $2025.

The $2500 top price Dalma ram was purchased by Hammans Place.

The volume buyer of the Dalma team was Jay Robertson, CJ & EJ Robertson & Sons, Kulin, who purchased four rams to a top of $2000 and average of $1700.

Next up was the offering of 51 White Dorper rams and with slightly stronger buying support, they also all head to new homes, selling to the sale's $12,300 top price and an average of $3151.

In this section the Veitch family offered and sold 32 rams at an average of $4094 including the day's $12,300 top price sire which was knocked down to return buyer Cherilyn Lowe, Nomuula stud, Moonbi, New South Wales, who purchased through AuctionsPlus while in Thailand.

Ms Lowe said the ram was a very impressive sire with great conformation.

"He ticks all the boxes to be a top stud sire in our flock," Ms Lowe said.

"I believe he is the type of ram that has the ability to take my stud forward."

The well-balanced 106kg, type 5 ram is a May 2021-drop son of Kaya White 190529.

It ranks in the top 10pc for shear force test (SF5) at -2.0 and top 30pc for post weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD) at 1.6 and Dress at 2.7.

The losing bidder on the ram was the Yost family, Toodyay, and while it might have missed out on the top-priced ram, family members didn't leave empty handed.

By the end of the Kaya team they had purchased three rams at an average of $5800.

In their team was a sire at $7000, equal second top price in the run, which ranks in the top 30pc for WWT, PWWT and SF5 and a ram at $6800 that is in the top 10pc for SF5 and top 30pc for PEMD, Dress and LMY.

Picking up the other equal $7000 second-top price ram was MV & DM O'Driscoll, Grass Valley, which paid the value for a ram that ranks in the top 10pc for SF5 and Dress, as well as top 30pc for PWWT, PEMD, IMF and the MCP index.

Other buyers to purchase at the top end of the Kaya offering was Neville Hoffrichter, Wiabuna White, Ceduna, South Australia, who bid through Mr Addis and purchased two rams at $5700 and $5100, while Oxford Pastoral Co, Hopetoun, averaged $3183 across a team of six that topped at $5600.

In the offering there were eight rams purchased by AuctionsPlus buyers located in WA, NSW, South Australia and Queensland for between $1900 and $6100.

The White Dorper ram offering rounded out with 19 rams from the Sundridge stud and they all sold to a top of $2500 and an average of $1563.

The stud's $2500 top-priced ram was purchased by Ora Cooper Farming, Trigwell, which also went on to pick up three other Sundridge rams at $2100, $1600 and $1100.

The volume of the Sundridge rams was R & TH Hinchcliffe, Quairading, with six rams at an average of $1250.

The offering of 42 Dorper stud ewes all presented by the Kaya stud all sold for an average of $1740, up $392 on last year.

In comparison last year Kaya offered 31 Dorper stud ewes and sold 29 at an average of $1348.

The top price in the Dorper ewe offering was $2600 paid by a buyer on AuctionsPlus based at Spring Ridge, NSW.

The May 2021-drop ewe ranks in the top 10pc for BWT and top 30pc for PFAT, PEMD and SF5.

This buyer also secured another two Dorper ewes at $2000 and $1700.

If Mr Lock thought he was busy in the ram portion of the catalogue relaying AuctionsPlus bids, the online activity went to another level when the ewes went under the hammer.

Along with the three ewes heading to the Spring Ridge buyer there were another 25 Dorper ewes sold through AuctionsPlus with these heading to NSW, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia for between $1150 and $2400 twice, the second top price.

The first of the ewes to make $2400 sold in lot 143 ranked in the top 30pc for BWT, PEMD, NLW, Dress and LMY, while the second ranked in the top 30pc for WWT, PWWT and LMY.

The biggest buyer in the shed of Dorper ewes was Clayton Mack, Mack Dorpers, Meandarra, Queensland, who had already purchased two Kaya Dorper rams at an average of $2500 and three Kaya White Dorper sires at an average of $2900.

The Mack family, which has been running Dorpers commercially for more than 10 years and has just started a stud, finished the run with eight ewes to a top of $1900 and $1463.

Mr Mack said the family had started their stud on Kaya bloodlines and their first drop of stud lambs were due to drop in the coming month.

"We started the stud as we believe there is going to be growing demand for big, framed Dorpers and White Dorpers in western Queensland," Mr Mack said.

The White Dorper ewes rounded out the sale and in this section the Kaya and Sundridge studs offered and sold 39 ewes at an average of $1397.

The Kaya offering comprised 31 ewes and these sold to a top of $2400 and average of $1535, which was up $502 on last year.

The $2400 top-priced ewe was purchased by the Henning Family Trust, Wagga Wagga, NSW, which bid over the phone through Mr Addis.

They bid to $2400 for a type 5, August 2021-drop ewe, which had an MCP index of 117.6 and was by Kaya White 190270.

Along with securing this ewe for the Hennings, Mr Addis purchased another 12 ewes for the family, giving them a team of 13 at an average of $1877 to go with three Dorpers which they purchased at an average of $1800.

After buying a selection of Dorper ewes, Mr Mack was also active on the Kaya White Dorper ewes and finished with four to a top of $2000 and an average of $1200.

There were 11 Kaya White Dorper ewes sold through AuctionsPlus and these made between $900 and $2000, selling to South Australia and Queensland.

The Sundridge stud offered and sold eight ewes in the line-up for between $600 and $1200 and they sold to two buyers on AuctionsPlus from NSW and South Australia.