THERE were some outstanding Poll Merino ram prices but the insatiable demand for White Suffolk rams was the highlight at the 2022 Lukin Springs on-property sale at Boyup Brook on Monday.
The sale bounded into action with 90 Poll Merino rams and by lot six the big crowd had seen three rams exceed last year's $4000 top price.
This year lot four set a $5900 stud record price when knocked down to Dyson Jones wool man Tim Chapman who was buying on behalf of Broomehill farmer Darrell Baynes trading as DD & GH Baynes.
Mr Baynes has been a long-term client who has always bought at the top end of the sale and runs a nucleus flock for which Mr Chapman has regularly bought a top sire.
This year 34 of the 100 rams in the sale carried 100 per cent comfort factor (CF) figures and the top price sheep was one of them.
The ram had wool figures showing 17.8 micron and a 3.6 SD.
Its Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) showed a 27.9 yearling clean fleece weight (YCFW), 7.7 yearling weight (YWWT), 0.4 yearling fat (YFAT), 0.3 yearling eye muscle diameter (YEMD) contributing to a 175.38 dual-purpose index (DP+).
The figures accompanied a long stapled, deeply crimped, well-nourished wool that is the hallmark of the Lukin Springs sheep courtesy of a solid background of Leahcim (SA) breeding.
Mr Chapman bought two more rams on behalf of his client for $2100 and $1000.
Stud co-principal David Goerling welcomed people to the family's seventh annual sale and told everyone that Lukin Springs was a firm believer in ASBVs and he believed Western Australians were two to three years behind eastern Australia in adopting figures.
"You won't find any other industry that doesn't measure," Mr Goerling said.
"More people need to understand more about ASBVs.
"Non-mulesing sheep and ASBVs really have taken off in the Eastern States and it will come to WA whether you like it or not," he said.
The sale opened with $4200 for pen one paid by another return buyer Wayne Lewis, Fleming Grove, Gibson, who bought a ram privately last year and also paid the $5500 second top price for the day before buying a third ram for $2000 midway through the sale.
Stud co-principal Paul Goerling said they penned their first six rams in order of quality with the rest penned randomly and with this knowledge buyers spiked the sale with high prices throughout.
Nutrien Livestock auctioneer and Katanning agent Mark Warren hastened his bidders and the sale proceeded at a cracking pace.
Although buyers were prepared to pay good money for the rams of their choice, it became apparent the absence of a couple of regulars meant there was no pressure and many were knocked down for the $800 upset price.
However, rams that met any form of competition sold at good values with DP & GR Cowcher, Williams, paying up to $2300 for the best of five and Rylington Park Management, Boyup Brook, also paying up to $2300 as connections put together a team of five.
Paul Goerling said Rylington Park had been buying rams for 13 years and wanted easy care and easy shearing sheep for their shearing school, but they still had to be productive.
Return buyers such as Graydn Wilcocks, Woodanilling, who took on a neighbouring lease, was back for the second time to buy seven rams to continue the existing bloodline on the property and paid up to $2100.
Tim Zadow, Kojonup, was one of the main volume buyers paying up to $2100 and buying 14 head.
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Mr Zadow said he had been going to Lukin Springs for the past five years and apart from the advantage of sharing similar environmental conditions, he appreciated the ASBVs the rams carried.
Daniel Simpson, GD Simpson & Son, Kojonup, was also a major buyer taking home 11 rams saying it was their usual buying requirement and they would be used over more than 2500 Merino ewes.
They had been coming to Lukin Springs for the past 20 years and although he liked to use figures as a guide, he was attracted to the free-growing, soft white wools that handled their high rainfall.
Of the 90 Poll Merinos to go under the hammer 71 sold for a $1296 average compared with last year when all 89 rams offered cleared for a $1516 average.
Paul Goerling conceded it was a buyers' market but it had the advantage that buyers had plenty of choice.
The full buying register for both breeds showed there were 29 buyers and a further three who registered but failed to take home a ram.
In contrast, the White Suffolk offering attracted 19 buyers including at least five new buyers, as well as the return of others who had not bought for many years.
Prices started off consistently in the $1400-$1700 range for the first 30 or so lots before a fear of missing out sparked extra life into the sale that was reflected in a string of $2000-plus prices.
Paul Goerling said he knew the White Suffolks would be strong but the strength of the sale far exceeded his expectations.
The 111 rams offered and sold averaged a solid $1476, up a significant $272 on last year.
The success was due, in part, to the number of buying orders held by the agents for every budget range and included several buyers who had failed to fill orders at earlier sales this year.
Nutrien Livestock auctioneer Ben Hankinson took the $2200 top price bid from Brad Morgan, Quindanning, for lot 55, a massive August 2021-drop sheep that was AI-bred from a ewe lamb in a program from which the Goerling family produces most of its home-bred sires.
The ram had ASBVs of a 9.8 weaning weight, 15.3 post weaning weigh (PWWT), 0.4 post weaning fat, and 3.0 post weaning eye muscle contributing to a 143.4 terminal carcase production index.
Mr Morgan went on to buy four rams in total, paying $1600, $1700 and $2000 for others.
He was one of the many buyers who looked closely at the figures before making his decision and said he went a bit extra because he was fed up with being outbid on his choices.
He looked for low birthweight and high growth rams and used the White Suffolks over a straight 1200-Merino ewe flock.
Two volume buyers with deep pockets under-pinned the action and they were Anthony Hallett, Boyup Brook, whose order was held by Nutrien Livestock's Boyup Brook representative Geoff Daw and netted 17 rams for up to $2000 twice.
Matthew Chambers, Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook, held a second order from Congeling Park for the Fowler family's Glenview property at Boyup Brook that accounted for 21 rams for between mainly $1200 and $1700.
Another who made a noteworthy contribution to the sale also came via a buying order from first time buyer Moolyall Farms, Ravensthorpe.
Moolyall Farms paid up to $2100 and $2000 and collected up a team of six.
Two local Bleechmore families, one trading as D & L Bleechmore and the other buying under MJ & CH Bleechmore, bought 11 and eight respectively and most prices were in the $1400-$1700 range.
Wes Leo, Dunn Rock, bought four rams and paid up to $2100 with others at $1700 and $1500 twice.
Mr Leo has been a long-term Lukin Springs client and regularly buys lines of White Suffolk-Merino ewe lambs from the Goerling family as the basis of a 1200-ewe F1 flock.
As a mixed cropping and sheep enterprise he based one of his revenue streams on sucker lambs and was chasing rams with a high PWWT figures and said he was always prepared to pay for quality.
Another big buyer was Phil Foss, Biami Holding Pty Ltd, Bruce Rock, who not only showed the broad spread of buying support but also showed the consistency of values when he bought the four of his six rams for $1600 and paid a $1800 high.
