$11,600 top price for dual-purpose ram at the final Kintail Park sale

A number of the State's sheep producers favour the versatility of the Dohne, Prime SAMM and Afrino breeds for both maternal and terminal sires, utilising the fertility and finishing ability of the breeds, along with a wool clip.

The season has widely held producers in good stead but sheep and wool producers haven't had it easy in other areas with well-documented disruptions in the processing sector, biosecurity threats and a slowly recovering wool industry from the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the stronger values paid for South African dual purpose genetics this selling season showed the positive outlook of producers and their confidence in the industry moving into the 2023 season.

Unfortunately supplies of these breeds continue their gradual decline of recent years with the lowest number of rams offered since 2009.

Collectively there were 1095 Dohne, Prime SAMM and Afrino rams offered at 14 sales throughout WA this selling season with a combined total of 983 rams sold at auction at the clearance rate one percentage point higher than last year at 90 per cent.

The total number of rams offered was down 61 head on last year and numbers sold down 42 head.

Dollars were up on the previous selling season with the three breeds combining for an increased gross to $1,555,850 and average of $1583.

This saw gross returns up $140,300 from last year on the back of a $202 spike in average.

Last year, a combined total of 1156 rams were offered with 1025 rams (89pc) selling under the hammer for a $1381 average.

The State's Dohne breeders continued the three-year rise of their collective average to the highest value since 2009, albeit on the back of the fewest numbers of rams sold during this period.

This year there were 753 Dohne rams offered at eight sales by eight breeders at standalone fixtures excluding one who sold at a multi-vendor sale.

Once the final ram had been sold, a total of 685 rams were sold at auction to gross $1,163,800 at a strongly improved average of $1699.

Dohne ram numbers offered and sold were the lowest number since 2009, down 37 rams on last year, while the number of rams sold dropped marginally by nine rams with the clearance rate jumping three percentage points to 90pc.

Gross returns increased $172,850 from last year to the third highest in the past 14 years with the average up by $271 to the highest since 2006.

The 2021 season saw 790 Dohne rams offered with 694 rams (88pc) sold at auction to average the previous second highest average since 2009 of $1428.

The second highest figure of $1431 during this period was recorded in 2018 from the highest number of rams offered (1048) and second highest sold (881).

This year, six of the eight Dohne breeders enjoyed rises in their respective sale averages ranging from $47 to $424.

Recording the biggest jump of $424 in average was the Far Valley Dohne on-property sale at Arthur River followed by Kintail Park's final on-property ram sale at Jerramungup ($337) and the Chirniminup on-property sale at Nyabing ($299).

Of the eight sales, seven averaged more than $1000 with the three sales mentioned above averaging more than the collective breed average led by Far Valley at $2008, Kintail Park $1998 and Chirniminup $1940.

Chirniminup was again by far the biggest Dohne sale of the season selling all bar one ram from the catalogue of 214 rams to gross $413,300.

The next highest gross of $228,900 was recorded at the Far Valley sale where 114 of 115 rams sold at auction followed by the second largest offering of 117 rams at Kintail Park with 111 sold to gross $221,800.

These three sales also led on the clearance front with Chirniminup and Far Valley recording 99pc clearance and Kintail Park 95pc.

The only other sale to offer more than 100 rams and gross more than $100,000 was the Mollerin Rock stud on-property sale at Cadoux where 98 of 105 rams sold to gross $135,550 and average the next highest figure of $1383 at a strong clearance of 93pc.

This season's $11,600 top-priced ram was sold at the final Kintail Park sale.

The Kintail Park 182598 son sold to an interstate syndicate comprising Fiona and Darren Cameron, Koonik and Hamilton Run studs, Goroke, Victoria and their daughter Lily, JAG stud, Hahndorf, South Australia.

The ram KP 211988 had a 195 Dohne index with exceptional components showing a 5.9 weaning weight (WWT), 8.3 yearling weight (YWT) and 1.9 yearling eye muscle depth (YEMD) that were all in the top five percentile band.

Although they previously toured many Dohne studs in the western State, it was the first time they had bought from WA.

Fiona Cameron said before she left home she had selected three rams at the sale, based solely on their Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs).

"I was also chasing structure and wool quality and this ram ticked all the boxes - he was an absolute stand-out sheep," Ms Cameron said.

A second son of KP182598 sold for the equal $4100 second top price bought by another stud syndicate comprising Jeremey Genders, Noorla stud, Williams and Don Mills, Kardinia stud, Corowa, New South Wales.

Mr Genders said the ram was closely related to the top-priced ram and had a high 192 Dohne index and a particularly good 1.6 YEMD.

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Tim Bridger, trading as Bridger Pty Ltd, Ravensthorpe, also ranked among the high price buyers after also paying the season's equal $4100 second top price among his draft of four Kintail Park rams.

The $4100 equal second top price for a Dohne ram was also paid at the Chirniminup sale to first time buyer Tim Pyle, Millstream Pastoral, Manypeaks.

The upstanding ram had ASBVs of 5.5 WWT, 5.8 post weaning weight (PWWT), 1.1 post weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD), 0.9 post weaning fat (PFAT), 16.4 yearling clean fleece weight (YCFW), -0.1 yearling fibre diameter (YFD), 1.8 yearling yield (YYLD) and a Dohne Plus index of 159.8.

At these figures the ram is ranked in the top five per cent for PFAT and YCFW and top 20pc for WWT and PEMD in the breed.

Mr Pyle, who farms with his brother David, said he believed the ram was the best sire in the line-up.

"He has very good structure and very good carcase traits, while his wool is well-nourished with good character," Mr Pyle said.

"We are aiming to set up a nucleus flock of Dohne ewes to breed our own rams from this year, so we will probably use this ram in that."

Mr Pyle said they have been using Dohnes for seven to eight years over their Merino ewes and they were transitioning away from the Merinos as they believed Dohnes suited their area better.

"We like them as they are easy-care and produce fast growing lambs which you can wean earlier plus they have better fertility and we think the ewes are better mothers," Mr Pyle said.

All up the Pyle family is running 16,000 Dohne-Merino cross ewes of which 8000 are mated to White Suffolk sires, while 6400 are joined to Dohnes and 1600 to Merinos for a June lambing.

The next highest price of $4000 was paid at the Far Valley sale which was also purchased by the Hamilton Run stud.

The ram by FV182126 had ASBVs of 2.72 maternal weaning weight (MWWT), 8.06 WWT, 21.95 YCFW, all of which were in the top five percent of the breed based on the latest August figures.

Ms Cameron said they wanted the ram specifically for their Hamilton Run stud because it was similar in wool type and offered an outcross of genetics.

The season's wrap up for WA's Prime SAMM breeders was largely similar to the Dohnes, with values up to the highest average since 2004 on the back of the fewest numbers offered and sold.

This season's offering of 312 Prime SAMM rams was the lowest number of rams offered by the breed at WA sales since its first offering in 2002, when the new breed to the State offered 242 rams.

This year continued an annual decline in Prime SAMM ram numbers offered for the past 12 years from when they peaked in 2010 at 1178 rams offered while the number of rams sold peaked at 1011 in 2011.

On a positive note, averages have been trending in the opposite direction from the 2020 season to the highest value seen since 2004 at $1338 and while gross returns at $371,950 were the second highest since 2019, it was the third lowest amount on record.

This year four Prime SAMM breeders offered 312 rams at five sales, four of which were on-property ram sales, with 278 rams selling at auction at a 89pc clearance rate.

Compared to last season where 312 of 336 rams sold at auction (93pc) for an average of $1291, there were 24 fewer rams sold this year and numbers sold were back 34 rams with the gross falling $30,950, while the breed average enjoyed a $47 spike from last year.

This year, two sales contributed to the stronger average with improved averages of their own with the Royston on-property sale at Napier up $230 on average from last year, while the Tiarri/Uralla on-property sale at Lake Grace lifted their average by $30.

These sales were among the three stronger averaging sales above $1000 with Royston leading the average stakes at $1767 followed by Tiarri/Uralla at $1386 and the Shirlee Downs on-property sale at Quairading at $1308.

Tiarri/Uralla was again the biggest Prime SAMM sale of the season with 134 of 140 rams selling at auction to gross $185,700 followed by the Sandown on-property sale at Badgingarra, with all 70 rams selling to gross $69,700, with Royston the second highest grossing sale at $76,000 from 43 of 49 rams sold at auction.

The Sandown sale was the only sale to achieve a 100pc clearance while Tiarri/Uralla the only other sale to achieve a clearance above 90pc (96pc).

This season's $4600 top-price Prime SAMM ram was sold at the Royston sale to South Australian buyers Campbell and Francesca Lawrie, Lawral Park stud, Ungarra.

The ram had ASBVs of 7.1 for WWT, 8.1kg PWWT, 1.7 PEMD, 0.5 PFAT and a MWP+ index of 148 to go with wool figures of 23.4 micron and 95.8pc comfort factor (CF).

Mr Lawrie said it was their sixth year purchasing from the stud.

"We've had really good results from the rams we have purchased and we find they perform really well," Mr Lawrie said.

"We were selecting stud sires today.

"We tend to consider a few things when we select rams, such as: good feet, bright white wools as well as good muzzle, constitution and body depth."

Royston also sold the $3600 second top-priced ram to NP & KA Linden, Lilliput, Victoria, through Elders Mt Barker agent Dean Wallinger.

The ram had ASBVs of 6.5 WWT, 7.9 PWT, 1.2 PEMD, 0.1 PFAT and an MWP+ index of 150, along with wool figures of 19.4 micron and 99.7pc CF.

The next highest price of $3500 was sold at the Shirlee Downs sale and was purchased by Graham Sutherland, TG & RG Sutherland, Sandown Prime SAMM stud, Badgingarra.

The Prime SAMM sire was a single birth and had ASBVs recorded in the catalogue as 0.37 birthweight (BWT), 3.1 WWT, 3.9 PWWT, 0.3 PFAT, 1.5 PEMD and wool tests of 21.2 micron and 99pc comfort factor.

Mr Sutherland has purchased Shirlee Downs Prime SAMM sires in the past and uses the rams as an outcross for his own Sandown Prime SAMM stud.

"The top-priced SAMM was a good all round sheep," Mr Sutherland said.

"He has a really good carcase and structure, with good wool and great ASBV figures."

Values at the Tiarri/Uralla and Sandown sales both reached $3100.

Afrino's second auction sale appearance since 2015 after returning last year - the Bailup Downs stud, Wooroloo, offered another 30 rams in conjunction with the Canternatting Poll Dorset stud's on-property sale at Southern Brook.

They sold 20 rams at auction for an average of $1005 which was back $137 on average compared to last year where they sold 19 of 30 rams for an average of $1142.

Tim Ferguson, LW & JI Ferguson, Hopetoun, Victoria, purchased the $1800 top-priced ram via phone with Elders stud stock prime lamb specialist, Michael O'Neill.

As their ram sale is on the same day each year in Hopetoun, Victoria, the Fergusons last year missed the sale but trialled a Bailup Down ram in 2021.

The ram weighed 98 kilograms with 42.2 millimetre eye muscle depth (EMD), 10.7mm fat with 19.3 micron wool and a 99.9 per cent comfort factor (CF).

Mr O'Neill said the top-priced ram was specifically chosen by Mr Ferguson.

"He has beautiful, fine, white wool, exceptional wool," Mr O'Neill said.

"He is a real package with his carcase and bare breach attributes."