This year was the third year the Chittleborough family hosted its annual Crystal Brook Australian White ram and ewe sale at their Bridgetown-based property.
The Chittleborough family put on an incredible spread of fresh, hearty food and refreshments, as well as offering their friendly hospitality and an exceptional line-up of rams and ewes.
The sale catalogue was filled with impressive genetics, starting with good doing ewes and well-muscled rams which were mainly sons of Tattykeel 200109, which is a son of Trump Junior and was purchased by the Chittleborough family for $30,000.
Of the rams and ewes offered in the sale, 16 of the 50 rams offered, sold under the hammer for an an average $1125 and four of the 14 ewes offered sold under the hammer at an average $900.
The result reflected current sheep market conditions and buyers passed up what could have been a good buying opportunity to get their hands on quality genetics.
Elders, Bridgetown representative Deane Allen said months ago, when himself and Laurie Chittleborough started planning the sale, they always had a key target for how many sheep they would offer in the sale.
"When the market started to slide in the past few weeks, we made a decision to still offer the original amount and give the buyers a good buying opportunity," Mr Allen said.
"Although there were key buyers who weren't able to make it and it was disappointing to have a lower clearance than we anticipated, the clients who did purchase in the sale went home with great sheep."
Mr Allen said the Chittleborough family had spent significant amounts of money on quality genetics that have high shedding abilities and great temperaments.
The sale kicked off with the ewe offering, which saw 14 ewes offered under the hammer to potential buyers.
Two ewes weighing 67.5 kilograms and 74kg achieved the highest ewe sale price of $1000 and they were both knocked down to Anne Kennedy, EK & L Kennedy, Mia Springs stud, Williams.
Ms Kennedy has been buying from the stud for three years now and said the ewes were very structurally correct and will be added to the stud's ewe flock to top up numbers.
The two remaining ewes which sold weighed 51kg and 64kg and they were knocked down to Jackie Sept, NA Porter & JA Sept, Coolup, for $800 each.
Next up was the ram offering, where a ram from pen 56, weighing 87kg was sold again to Ms Kennedy's stud for $1900 top price.
Ms Kennedy said the ram presented very well.
"He is a good upstanding ram that is good on his feet," Ms Kennedy said.
"He is a sire with good muscling and conformation as well as a quiet temperament which is great."
The Kennedy family bought five rams for an average of $1260.
Included in Ms Kennedy's other purchases was a $1400 ram weighing 92.5kg.
Ms Kennedy said she would be using the rams she purchased over a mob of 30 Australian White stud ewes.
Kulikup buyers, BF & F Dulex, paid $1400 for a ram that weighed 89.5kg.
The Dulex family rounded out their purchases with an additional ram at $1000 which weighed 84kg.
Stephen Abbott, Capercup stud, Harvey, paid the third highest price of $1300 for a well-muscled ram that weighed 86kg.
PR & JS Broun, Brookton, was keen to secure the Crystal Brook genetics, purchasing a team of four rams all at $1000.
These rams weighed 86kg, 83kg, 82kg and 82kg.
Springhills, Quindanning, loaded up three rams post sale, all at $1000 each, weighing 89kg, 83kg and 82kg, respectively.
Crystal Brook stud principal Laurie Chittleborough said as expected the market conditions were portrayed in the sale.
"I think buyers will be pleased in future that they purchased rams during the sale at lower market values," Mr Chittleborough said.
"As for the passed-in ewes, we plan to artificially inseminate them to Tattykeel rams and sell them as scanned in lamb ewes in mid-January when there will be more interest."
