Ida Vale White Suffolk peaks at $5100 at Tamesha Gardner and Andrew Greenup's 26th annual sale at Kojonup

Ida Vale was the first ever White Suffolk stud in Western Australia in 1982, started by Tamesha's parents Di and Bronte Gardner and over the years built up a strong reputation with many successes.

The White Suffolk stud has been purchased by Rhodes Pastoral, Dinninup, which has the Boree Park White Suffolk stud.

Moving forward Ida Vale will have more time to concentrate on its shedding breeds consisting of Western White Shedder, White Dorper and Dorper studs.

This year's Ida Vale Production sale resulted in a complete clearance of all sires from the four separate breeds, with two Dorpers negotiated privately, while the auction was still underway.

With 44 registered buyers vying to fulfil their requirements, the sale was once again highly successful.

The overall average increased by about $80 from last year to be $1643, with the White Dorper section of the catalogue seeing a lift of $185 in the average from the previous sale to realise $1825 and the White Suffolk average of $1540 was up by $158.

Elders Kojonup branch manager Cameron Grace said there was healthy demand for all the breeds, but there was a noticeable uptick in interest in the Western White Shedders and White Dorpers.

"It was a very strong sale throughout with values remaining high all the way to the end," Mr Grace said.

"The Western White Shedders and White Dorpers showed increased interest from buyers.

"The White Suffolk held frim from start to finish.

"The presentation of the rams was quality as always and the prices and competition reflected this.

"There was local support alongside interstate buyers and those further afield intrastate ranging north to Walkaway and south to Napier.

"Hats off to both Tamesha and Andrew on their work with the White Suffolk breed and all the very best for them into the future."

The top price of the sale overall was the $5100 achieved by a White Suffolk ram penned at lot 104.

The big upstanding sire had registered LambPlan Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) of 0.24 birthweight (BWT), 10.94 weaning weight (WWT), 17.48 post weaning weight (PWWT), 0.61 post weaning fat (PFAT), 3.61 post weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD) and 153.78 terminal carcase production plus (TCP) and 150.81 lamb eating quality index (LEQ) and was the sole purchase for Sandy Forbes, Royston White Suffolk stud, Napier.

Ms Forbes said she had purchased a stud ram last year off Ida Vale.

"This ram is from a different bloodline to the ram I purchased at the previous sale," Ms Forbes said.

"I also wanted to support Tamesha and Andrew before the stud moved on.

"It is a really good, even line of sheep that Tamesha and Andrew have.

"I am looking forward to how this ram will breed on."

It was in the White Suffolk catalogue that saw the overall volume buyer at the sale emerge.

Beechbanks Farms, Tenterden, purchased 15 White Suffolk sires to the top price of $2000 and for an average of $1560 to be the volume buyers of the White Suffolks and the overall sale.

Acre Farms, Kojonup, took home eight White Suffolk rams, to a top of $1600, twice, for a $1388 average.

Colin Ednie-Brown, CP & Z Ednie-Brown, Kojonup, purchased seven rams, to a top of $1400 and an average of $1071, with his top purchase proceeds being generously donated to the joint Elders and Nutrien Shearing for Liz Pink Day fundraising charity for Breast Cancer Research.

The White Suffolks saw a full clearance of the 87 sires under the hammer for an average of $1540, and the $5100 top was a rise of $1100 from last year's breed top price.

The 42 Western White Shedders sires offered this year was a total of eight more than last year, resulting in another full clearance, a very big $1981 average and a top price of $4000.

The $4000 top priced sire had ASBVs of - 0.40 BWT, 5.88 WWT, 9.81 PWWT, 0.17 PFAT, 1.44 PEMD and 133.95 maternal carcase production plus (MCP).

The ram was one of the Western White Shedders bought by James and Rebecca Raffan, JR & RS Raffan, Hill River, for an average of $3367.

Ms Raffan said this was a first time with the breed for them.

"We have not purchased Western White Shedders before, this is our first year," Ms Raffan said.

"We have White Dorpers and wanted to get into some Western Whites.

"We use White Dorper ewes, so they will all be over White Dorper ewes."

The second top-priced Western White Shedder sold to Riverina Livestock Agencies (RLA), Wagga Wagga, New South Wales for $3900, this ram had ASBV's of - 0.28 BWT, 6.74 WWT, 11.29 PWWT, 0.46 PFAT, 2.03 PEMD and 141.57 MCP.

The volume buyer of the Western White Shedders was RF & MR Bilney, Kojonup, which won the bids on a total of 10 sires, to a top of $3600 and an average of $2280.

The next in line of the volume buyers was Tony Fisher, Eulo Grazing, Kojonup, with his purchase of eight sires, to a top of $2300 and an average of $1675.

Mr Fisher said he had purchased a few Western White Shedders from the Ida Vale sale last year as a trial.

"I have been on Guy Bowen's, Mount Ronan genetics for about 15 years," Mr Fisher said.

"I am very happy with them but am looking at removing the wool side of things.

"I want to continue with Mount Ronan but have shedding sheep rather than having wool that needs shearing.

"The lambs I have from last year's Western White Shedders rams have been very promising.

"It gives me lots of confidence with some of the ewe lambs shedding immediately, which is very exciting.

"Tamesha and Andrew have a really even line of Western White Shedders and I am looking forward to seeing how they will breed on."

While the White Dorper top price may have been slightly down on the previous sale, the average lifted by almost $200 to be $1825 and a 100 per cent clearance of the 16 sires offered.

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The top price of $3600 was achieved twice, with the first ram selling to James and Rebecca Raffan, JR & RS Raffan, Hill River, who had earlier bought the top priced Western White Shedders sire.

The Raffan's purchased lot 52, this ram had ASBVs of

- 0.05 BWT, 8.12 WWT, 13.79 PWWT, -0.04 PFAT, 2.37 PEMD and 149.12 MCP.

Lexden Grazing P/L, Capel, purchased the second $3600 equal top priced White Dorper, along with a second sire for an average of $2550.

The Lexden Grazing P/L equal top priced White Dorper was lot 55 and the ram had ASBV's of - 0.41 BWT, 6.28 WWT, 11.42 PWWT, 0.43 PFAT, 1.71 PEMD and 141.02 MCP.

The volume buyer in the White Dorper section was AJ Ferfila Holdings, Manjimup, with its purchase of three rams to a top of $1400 and an average of $1233.

The 13 Dorper rams saw 11 rams sold at auction and the remaining two sold immediately post sale by private negotiation for a total clearance.

The top-priced Dorper was $1100 and the buyers were husband and wife Hugh and Eva Levett, Banyanda, Walkaway.

The top-priced ram weighed 91 kilograms and had 45.8 millimetres EMD and 5.5mm fat.

The Levetts were also the volume buyers of the Dorper sires, with their total purchase of six sires averaging $933.

Barkly Royal Farming Co P/L, purchased nine sires from across three breeds in the Ida Vale catalogue, consisting of four Western White Shedders, two White Dorpers and three Dorpers, with their $1600 top price paid for a White Dorper and an overall average of $1122.

Ida Vale co-principal Tamesha Gardner said it was bittersweet to say goodbye to the White Suffolks as they had so much history, but it was the start of a new chapter for them as a stud and they were very confident in Rhodes Pastoral moving forward with the White Suffolks.

"You really wear your heart on your sleeve when you come to your own auction," Ms Gardner said.

"It was a little harder today seeing the White Suffolks sell for the last time.

"The full clearance today of all the breeds was very pleasing.

"We really enjoy breeding the sheep and we like the value our clients are getting.

"Our whole commercial focus moving forward is the shedding breeds."