Anna Villa White Suffolk stud posts lift in average in milestone year
One of Anna Villa stud's most even line-ups in years was rewarded with a near total clearance and increased demand at the annual ram sale at Weetulta.
The Ferguson family had plenty to celebrate in their 40th year breeding White Suffolks, with 82 of 85 rams topping at $2600 and averaging $1257.
This was a more than $150 lift in average in comparison to 2024, when 81 of 98 lots averaged $1095.
The sale's two highest prices came in the first five lots.
Lot 2 - tag 932- a May 2024 drop ram, which weighed 137.5 kilograms, was knocked down for $2600 to River Park Holdings, Wandearah.
They have bought the top-priced lot many times, including last year where they paid a stud record of $6800.
This year's sale topper, which was sired by Tiparra Springs 30, had impressive growth figures, being in the top five percent for weaning weight at 13.01 and top 10pc for post weaning weight at 19.34.
It also had an eye muscle depth ASBV of 1.68 and Terminal Carcase Production Index of 145.86.
Several lots later, lot 5 - which was also high ranking for growth traits - sold for $2400 to Castle Hill, Curramulka.
Each year the Fergusons donate the proceeds of lot 19 to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Heart Kids SA, which supports those with childhood-onset heart disease.
This year the charity ram made $1800 selling to Nutrien's Daniel Hill on behalf of client Clements Farming Group, Narridy.
Stud principal Anthony Ferguson said they had been supporting the RFDS for nearly a decade and a couple of years ago decided to split the proceeds and also donate to Heart Kids SA after one of his granddaughters, Maddie, was born with a heart condition.
Nearly all of the 20 registered bidders bought with rams selling to the Mid North, Yorke Peninsula and up into the Flinders Ranges
Three buyers put together double-digit orders.
Kuruman Pastoral, Port Wakefield, secured 12 rams for a $1240 average.
Smith Partners, Belton, took home 11 rams for a $1290 average and Clements Farming bought 10 rams for a $1180 average.
Mr Ferguson said he was thrilled with the strong clearance rate and also the favourable comments on the quality of their rams, which included many sired by home bred ram lambs, as well as a ram purchased from Leahcim stud at Snowtown for $10,000.
"We weren't expecting it to be as good as this," he said.
"It was nice to be rewarded for the hard work especially that Cameron (Ferguson) has put in."
Mr Ferguson said the rams, which were really struggling for feed early, even up until late June and July, had really "bounced away" when they were shorn and shown a fresh paddock.
"The big comments we heard were that the rams lined up to the very end and looked very even, which was good to hear," he said.
The successful sale was icing on the cake after the stud's most successful showing at the Royal Adelaide Show in nearly 20 years. Anna Villa and Tiparra Spring studs won 18 ribbons in the feature breed judging, from 23 sheep exhibited with their wins including the maternal - terminal LAMBPLAN production class.
Mr Ferguson assured their clients that while there were limited opportunities for rams to be sold locally on Yorke Peninsula, they were committed to the breed.
"We are doing a lot more ewe lamb matings so we can get more Anna Villa and Tiparra Springs bloodlines and making a concerted effort to bring our figures up with it," he said.
Nutrien SA stud stock manager and auctioneer Gordon Wood said the rams presented the best he had seen them in recent years.
"They (Anna Villa) were strongly supported by mostly return buyers, there was spirited bidding at the start of the sale and then there were some larger orders where people were happy to bid at $1200 to $1400 and take a pen of four," he said.
Elders and Nutrien were joint selling agents with Damien Webb sharing the rostrum with Mr Wood.
