Five-figure top for Fingerpost as stud syndicate start solid sale with a bang
A syndicate of three studs sent the Fingerpost White Suffolk ram sale to five figures in a sterling sale for the Gale family at Monarto South on Tuesday.
Bundara Downs, Western Flat, Booloola White Suffolks, Baringhup, Vic, and Charinga White Suffolks, Paradise, Vic, joined forces to secure Fingerpost's lot 1 ram through AuctionsPlus for $15,500.
The syndicate outlasted Kurra-Wirra Pastoral Co, Harrow, Vic, which is starting up a stud and was the volume buyer at the sale, securing 29 rams.
Having their sale interfaced with AuctionsPlus paid off for the Gale family, who enjoyed stud interest early and great volume demand from regular local buyers throughout to sell 91 of 96 rams, averaging $1384.
Last year, the stud sold 99 of 108 rams offered to a top of $2100 and average of $1133.
Stud principal Barrie Gale said the result was validation of their continued focus on genomic testing and data, with the stud holding a five star rating on Sheep Genetics.
Steve Funke of Bundara Downs said the $15,500 ram was being sent to an AI centre, then Bundara Downs, Booloola, and Charinga.
"His paperwork stood out to us, but we did a drive around a week-and-a-half ago and believe for a big figure ram he's one of the most structurally sound rams we've seen in a while," he said.
Its dataset lit the catalogue page up like a Christmas tree, with the ram ranking in the top 1 per cent on Sheep Genetics for post-weaning eye muscle depth (5.4), lean meat yield (5.47), dressing percentage (4.55) and lamb eating quality (182.04).
From the Farrer 220173 sire, the ram was a May 2024-drop.
It wasn't the only ram to attract stud interest, with lot 4 heading west to a stud in Boyup Brook, WA, for $6600.
While volume buyer Michael Close from Kurra-Wirra, who already operate a Merino stud and cattle stud, missed out on lot 1, he was pleased with his order of 29, averaging $1072.
The enterprise has been a buyer from Fingerpost for more than a decade.
"They've got good data for starters, good structure and good lambing ease," Mr Close said.
"Most of ours (White Suffolk rams) go over Merino ewes of mixed age from maidens to eight-years-old. We've got our own feedlot and finish the lambs ourselves."
Local, Mallee and Kangaroo Island buyers underpinned the rest of the sale, getting value for money as the sale wore on.
Kanmantoo Pastoral Co, Kanmantoo, bought eight rams, averaging $1075, while four different buyers secured five apiece.
They were AA&JG Florance, Kangaroo Island, averaging $1400; CA Paech, Tepko, averaging $1080; DJ&RJ Stone, Yankalilla, averaging $880; and Saramon Family Trust, Strathalbyn, averaging $1320.
The Gales continued their tradition of a lottery draw to give one ram away for free and donate the proceeds to the McGrath Foundation. This year, it was $1800 for lot 3.
Mr Gale said he was pleasantly surprised by the sale result, given the seasonal conditions over the past 18 months and uncertainty about what declining ewe numbers would mean for ram demand.
"With mutton at $8 a kilogram over the hook, there's a lot of old ewes that have gone out of this area," he said.
"With our breeding, we're still getting the results and I think a lot of people will be using their 3.5-year-old ewes as cashflow and putting their crossbred rams over them."
Mr Gale said lamb eating quality was a big focus in terms of improving data.
"We think eventually processors will eventually pay us on it," he said.
"Genomic testing has blown us away. We've done the testing already on the rams for next year and their data will be on the system in a months time. We can make a lot more decisions earlier."
The sale was conducted by Nutrien and Elders, with Nutrien the duty agent.
Nutrien auctioneer Andrew Wilson said it was a "tremendous" result.
"In a trying season early, we've had a more than $200 lift in average sale-on-sale, and a great clearance, it's a credit to the Gale family," he said.
