A QUALITY offering of well-grown Merino and Poll Merino rams, with good wool cutting ability and carcase traits were well received by long-term buyers who pushed prices to a high of $5000 at the Woolkabin on-property ram sale at Woodanilling last week.
The strong offering of mainly Poll Merino sires presented by the Patterson families, gained solid support from start to finish as buyers chased both fresh genetics and proven bloodlines offered.
Like in past years, the registered buyers' list not only featured producers from the surrounding areas, but also many who had travelled from as far away as Canna in the north, Green Range in the south and Koorda in the east, demonstrating that Woolkabin bloodline performs for growers across the State in many a range of rainfall regions.
When the final ram was knocked down by Elders auctioneer Nathan King, the stud had offered and sold 144 rams under the hammer to 27 different buyers for an average of $1342, which was back $482 on last year.
In comparison, last year the stud offered and sold 151 rams under the hammer to 30 different buyers for an average of $1824 and to a top of $7000.
In the breakdown, the stud offered and sold 125 Poll Merinos at an average of $1374 (back $523 on last year), while in the Merino side of the catalogue, 19 rams were offered and sold at an average of $1126 (down $378 on 2022).
Elders stud stock manager Tim Spicer said the sale received good support from long-term clients who were familiar with the Woolkabin product.
"It was a quality offering right through the catalogue as in previous years and the rams were offered once again with Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs)," Mr Spicer said.
"As in many sales this season, it was evident that here that buyers were requiring less rams but they showed they were prepared to pay if the right rams fitted their specifications.
"The reduction in the number of rams required buyers did affect the competition throughout the sale which had an effect on prices compared to last year.
"However to achieve a 100 per cent clearance over the offering was pleasing to see and a positive for the Patterson family."
The catalogue kicked off with a run of 24 March shorn, shedded prepared Poll Merino rams and it was in these early pens that the day's $5000 top-priced ram was located.
When Mr King stood over an upstanding Poll Merino ram in lot five, buyers quickly took notice and bid strongly.
Return buyers of more than 50 years, Tom and Murray Lloyd, FE & BJ Lloyd, Darkan, placed the final bid at $5000.
Murray Lloyd said the ram had a very good frame and structure as well as a very good wool.
"He has a very white, bright stylish wool and it was the best wool type in the shed suited to our higher rainfall," Mr Lloyd said.
"We have purchased from the Pattersons for more than 50 years and like their sheep as they have good production traits.
"They are good wool cutters and have a nice shape about them."
The double polled 99 kilogram ram is by Roseville Park 200010 and had June wool figures of 22.0 micron, 3.4 SD, 15.4 CV and 98.9 per cent comfort factor (CF), along with scans of 5.1mm fat and 37mm eye muscle depth (EMD).
When it came to its MerinoSelect ASBVs, the AI-bred ram had values of 7.05 yearling weight (YWT), 0.24 yearling fat (YFAT), 0.93 yearling eye muscle depth (YEMD), 0.97 yearling fibre diameter (YFD), 19.5 yearling clean fleece weight (YCFW) and indexes values of 145.7 for MP+ and 159.2 for DP+ index.
The Lloyds will use their top-priced purchase in their nucleus flock of ewes to breed rams for their own use.
All up the Lloyds this season will join 3800 ewes to Merino sires.
The second top price was $4400 paid by second year buyers John and Deb Young, John Young & Co, Poondarra stud, Kondinin, for an upstanding, deep-bodied, soft-handling woolled Poll ram which was AI-bred by Wallaloo Park 226.
Mr Young said the ram was a good all round sheep with a big frame and a soft-handling, long-stapled wool.
"We bought a ram from the sale last year and are happy so far with the lambs we got from him," Mr Young said.
"We will use this ram over Collinsville blood ewes in our stud flock to breed rams for our own use."
The 111kg ram has ASBVs of 7.32 YWT, -0.74 YFAT, -0.47 YEMD, 0.18 YFD, 30.4 YCFW and index values of 167.2 MP+ and 168.9 DP+.
It had June wool test results of 21.6 micron, 3.6 SD, 16.6 CV and 98.8pc CF to go with scans of 4.3mm for fat and 37mm for EMD.
Making the next best price at $4200 was a March shorn Collinsville 180615 (George) son when it was knocked down to buyers of more than 25 years, Darren and Bruce Howatson, Howatson Family Trust, Newdegate.
The Howatsons purchase weighed in at 100kg and had June wool figures of 18.3 micron, 2.6 SD, 14.3 CV and 99.7pc CF.
On the ASBV front the AI-bred ram ranks in the top 10pc for YWT (10.5) and top 20pc for YCFW (26.3).
Darren Howatson said they were chasing the rams Collinsville George bloodline as they had purchased a couple of rams last year of the same breeding and they had worked well.
"We liked this ram in particular as he is an upstanding sire with a rich, crimpy, lustrous wool," Mr Howatson said.
"We were chasing the bloodline especially for its wool quality, style and handle."
Along with securing the third top-priced ram, the Howatsons also purchased eight other Poll sires from the catalogue to finish with a team of nine at an average of $2222.
Mr Howatson said they continued to source their breeding genetics from Woolkabin as the stud puts up rams which have good structures, consistent body types, good carcase traits and high quality wools.
"They are good dual-purpose sheep which cut a lot of wool and this is important now that meat prices have really dropped," Mr Howatson said.
The Howatsons, who have now recorded a more than 100pc lambing from ewes scanned over the past couple of years will be hoping for similar results again next year for the 2200 ewes they join to Merinos when they lamb down in April/May.
Mr Howatson said they were sticking with their sheep and join similar numbers this year despite the current position of the industry.
"We're not ready just yet to let go of well-bred stock that we have taken years to build up," he said.
"We are going to wait and see what the markets do, before we make any big decisions."
The Howatsons aim to sell their wether lambs as suckers and have them all gone by harvest.
"This year's lambs are looking good and we will be looking to get a few away in the coming weeks," Mr Howatson said.
Other buyers to purchase at the top end of the Poll offering included Jomak Trust, West Casurinas, which purchased three Polls to a top of $2700 and an average of $2233, while Westmere Farming, Williams, averaged $2200 over a team of five Polls that topped at $2800 and LA King & Co, Tambellup, secured three Polls at a top of $2500 and an average of $2133.
The top price in the Merino offering was $1800 paid by long-term client Hunt Partners, Coorow, which bid through Woolkabin stud consultant Bruce Cameron.
The Coorow-based enterprise paid $1800 for an April shorn, 100kg Merino ram which had wool figures of 17.1 micron, 3.0 SD, 17.5 CV and 100pc CF as well as scans of 4.4mm fat and 36.5mm EMD.
In addition to purchasing the top-priced Merino ram for Hunt Partners, Mr Cameron secured another six Merino sires for the enterprise to ensure it went home with seven rams at an average of $1171.
There were a number of buyers to have their name written more than 10 times on the clerking sheets during the sale and appearing the most was repeat buyer K & K Fuchsbichler, Koorda, bidding through Woolkabin classer Kevin Broad.
The Fuchsbichlers claimed the volume buyer title after purchasing 14 rams (10 Polls and four Merinos) at an average of $757.
The next biggest buyer was Kirralee Farms Pty Ltd, West Pingelly, which purchased 12 rams (10 Polls and two Merinos) at a $783 average, while LB Edmonds & Co, Jerramungup, went home with 10 Polls on the back of the ute at an average of $960.
Other buyers to take home reasonable sized drafts were TR & PT Ettridge, Kojonup, which picked up nine (one Merino and eight Polls) at a $1289 average, while PG & WD Patterson, Nyabing, averaged $938 over a team of eight Polls.
Four buyers went home with seven rams and three of these averaged more than $1000 for their drafts.
Bulyee-based Kolonga Farms purchased six Polls and one Merino for a $1329 average, while Pendlebury Farm, Kojonup, secured six Polls and one Merino at a $1214 average and Spring Gully Pastoral Co, Brookton, averaged $1029 for a team of four Polls and three Merinos.
