Ewes top $330 at Nutrien Livestock Kojonup reduction sale

In the sale, which was also interfaced on AuctionsPlus, the Stevensons sold 2621 elite and commercial ewes to a top of $330 and an average of $264 from their Kojonup farm, which has recently been sold and their Badgingarra property.

Broken down, 1128 elite White Dorper ewes and ewe lambs from the family's Riverside White Dorper stud sold at an average of $303, while the 1365 commercial White Dorper and Dorper ewes and ewe lambs sold averaged $229.

All the elite White Dorper ewes sold were sired by rams carrying the Booroola fertility gene and the mature ewes had all had twins this year and the ewe lambs were all born as twins when dropped in July/August.

Sale Summary

Topping the sale at $330 was a line of 106 elite 2.5yo ewes when sold to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Katanning Research Station, which was represented at the sale by the research station's farm manager Keren Muthsam and sheep technician Brittany Were.

Along with purchasing the top-priced line, Ms Muthsam and Ms Were with the support of Elders, Gnowangerup representative James Culleton, purchased two other elite lines of ewes.

They paid the second top price of $325 for 85 2.5yo ewes and $320 for 160 3.5yo ewes.

Ms Muthsam said the ewes would go into the genetic resource breeding flock at the Katanning research station.

"We were looking for young proven replacement breeders and we were impressed when we saw these ewes," Ms Muthsam said.

"I was impressed by their temperament, shedding ability and fertility."

The ewes will be AI'd in February to industry leading sires from mainly the White Dorper, Dorper, Poll Dorset and White Suffolk breeds and the lambs will be comprehensively measured and monitored for a range of difficult to measure traits prior to slaughter.

A second line of 116 elite 3.5yo ewes sold at $320 to Fairbanks Farming, Kojonup.

Nutrien Livestock, Wheatbelt agent, Livestock & Land Rex Luers was active on the lines of elite ewes, securing three lines of older ewes and two lines of ewe lambs for a number of different Wheatbelt clients.

Mr Luers' first purchase was the draft of 178 1.5yo ewes at $305 for an undisclosed client.

Then he bought the two lines of 4.5-5.5yo elite ewes for Lanberris Farm, Wyalkatchem.

He paid $290 for a draft of 82 head and $280 for a line of 116 head.

Mr Luers rounded out his buying in the elite lines, snapping up 142 ewes lambs at $305 and 271 ewe lambs at $280.

When it came to the commercial ewe offering, the highest price for these was $250 for a line of 250 2.5yo and 3.5yo ewes (50:50 age split) carrying genetics from the Stevenson's Riverside White Dorper stud, when it was knocked down to a South Australian buyer operating on AuctionsPlus.

This same buyer also paid $240 for 245 2.5yo and 3.5yo coloured ewes which were sired by rams carrying the Booroola gene and had dropped twins this year.

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Also making $240 among the commercial lines was a draft of 240 1.5yo ewes sired by rams carrying the Booroola gene when sold to Kemminup Farm, Kojonup, while Jay Robertson, CJ & EJ Robertson & Son, Kulin, bid $220 for 170 4.5yo and 5.5yo ewes (50:50 age split) based on the Riverside White Dorper stud bloodlines.

Mr Luers rounded out his buying on the day bidding $230 for 207 commercial Dorper, July/August-drop, twin born ewe lambs as well as $190 for 253 commercial ewe lambs.

Both lines of ewe lambs were sired by rams carrying the Booroola gene.

What the agent said:

NUTRIEN Livestock, Wheatbelt agent Rex Luers said the sale was well-supported by both local and interstate buyers and followed the trend in terms of demand being currently seen for shedding sheep.

"There was good interest in the sale on AuctionsPlus with 1361 catalogue views being recorded and 19 users logged in during the sale which resulted in 11 online bids being placed and two lines being sold to South Australia," Mr Luers said.

"The final result was on par with presale expectations given the current interest in shedding sheep.

"Thank you to the Stevenson family and their Kojonup manager Bayden Reid for allowing us to conduct the sale and their work in getting their sheep ready and also to the Nutrien Livestock network for their support."