Warm sunny weather and quality genetics, backed by an exceptional line-up of even, Ridgetop bred sires attracted an impressive registered buyers list at the Carter family's on-property ram sale at Narrikup last week.
A catalogue of 148 prime lamb sires were presented in the shed, made up of the usual three breeds offered, being White Suffolk, Poll Dorset and South Suffolk, as well as the debut of the Carter family's new line-up of Australian White rams.
Eager buyers, both new and returning, travelled from the local area, the Wheatbelt and the South Coast to bid up on their lot favourites and enjoy the Carter family's hospitality.
The good buyer support resulted in 101 of the 148 rams selling under the hammer to an overall average of $996 and a high of $2300.
Broken down, 61 of the 80 White Suffolk rams sold to an average of $804, while six of the 26 Poll Dorset rams sold for a $683 average, nine of the 12 South Suffolks sires sold to an average of $717 and 25 rams sold from the line-up of 30 Australian White rams achieved an average of $1640.
The Carter family also donated the proceeds from one ram in the sale, that sold for $1000 to the Albany Community Hospice.
Elders, Albany representative David Lindberg said the sale achieved a good result.
"As the rams in the White Suffolk offering got lighter, the buyers began to drop off, although they were willing to bid up on the heavier weights," Mr Lindberg said.
"We saw this trend across all breeds, although the lighter rams were younger and are still yet to grow."
Australian White
It was an 80 kilogram Australian White ram that topped the sale, selling for $2300 to Elders, Albany representative Nigel Hawke, who was buying on behalf of his client and first time buyer CJ Anderson & Co, which owns multiple properties at Boxwood Hill, Torbay, Gnowangerup, Wellstead and Narrikup.
All up Mr Hawke purchased 10 Australian White rams for an average of $1720 for the Anderson family.
Mr Hawke said the Andersons were looking for rams that had bigger frames, broad bodies and good carcase traits and shedding abilities.
"The Anderson family will be using their rams over about 3500 Composite shedding ewes to produce offspring with hybrid vigour," Mr Hawke said.
"The Anderson family has been breeding Composite shedders for 20 years now and aims to produce low maintenance, good clean shedding commercial ewes."
Included in their other purchases was a ram at $2100 that weighed 74.5kg.
Also purchasing 10 rams in the Australian White ram offering was JC Bunn, Redmond.
The Redmond-based enterprise paid to a high of $1700 and an average of $1520.
The team of rams headed to Redmond weighed between 65.5kg to 75kg.
LH & L Burridge, Tambellup, purchased two rams to an average of $1850, and a high of $1900 for a ram weighing 72kg.
GJ & LJ Hicks, Albany, paid $1800 for a good shedding ram that weighed 76kg.
White Suffolk
The White Suffolk offering peaked at $1300, which was paid by Frost & Cave Farms, Kendenup.
The $1300 beauty weighed 89.5kg and had scans of 46mm for eye muscle depth (EMD) and 4.7mm for fat.
The Kendenup account rounded out its purchases with an upstanding $1000 sire which weighed 85kg and had an EMD of 42.2mm and a fat scan of 3.4mm.
D & S Herbert, Mira Mar, paid the second top price of $1200 in the White Suffolk offering.
The well-rounded ram from pen one weighed 101.5kg and had an EMD of 43mm and a fat scan of 5.6mm.
The Herbert family secured a team of six rams in total from the line-up for an average of $917.
JM & ME Walker, Green Range, put together an impressive team of 11 rams that averaged $759.
The Walker family paid a high of $1100, which was the third top price in the offering for a sire that weighed 102kg and had scans of 40mm for EMD and 4.7mm for fat.
Also paying the third top price of $1100 was CM Beacham, Tambellup, for a ram that weighed 97kg which had scans of 43.4mm for EMD and 3.2mm for fat.
The Beachams bought seven White Suffolk rams that averaged $793.
SH & LD Parsons, Tenterden, were also a fan of the Ridgetop White Suffolks, putting together a team of six rams for an average of $742.
South Suffolk
The South Suffolk offering prices peaked at $800, three times throughout the sale, dominated by two accounts with Subasio Downs, Gnowellen, paying $800 once and G & B Mather, Mt Barker, claiming the remaining two top price sires.
Subasio Downs was the volume buyer in the run and bought seven sires to an average of $693.
Its $800 top price sire weighed 81.5kg, had an EMD of 34.3mm and fat scan of 3mm.
The two remaining rams at $800 were picked up by the Mather family.
The rams both weighed 89kg and had EMDs of 37.8mm and 35.5mm and fat scans of 6mm and 3mm, respectively.
Poll Dorset
In the Poll Dorset offering, four rams achieved the line-up's highest price of $700 and all were secured by Murray Valley Grazing, Forrest Hill.
The Forrest Hill account bought five of the six rams that sold during the sale to an average of $690.
The four rams included in their sales that reached the $700 high weighed 80kg, 85kg, 80kg and 86kg, had EMDs of 35mm, 38.5mm, 37mm and 39mm, and fat scans of 4mm, 4.5mm, 4mm and 4.2mm, respectively.
The remaining ram in the Poll Dorset offering sold to CM Beacham, for $650, weighing 77kg, along with an EMD of 37mm and fat scans of 4.5mm.
