Big, deep-bodied ram gained plenty of interest, selling for impressive price

A consistent quality line-up of Merino and Poll Merino rams displaying all the important traits needed for today's markets, were in demand when they went under the hammer at the East Mundalla on-property ram sale at Tarin Rock last week, selling to a top of $13,250.

From beginning to end, the 23 registered buyers were solid in their bidding on the line-up of rams that displayed excellent wool cutting ability and carcase traits.

This meant the Elders selling team, led by auctioneer Nathan King, was continually busy ensuring no bids were missed and when the final hammer fell, it was a another positive sale for the Gooding and Robinson families.

With the solid buying support throughout the catalogue, the stud cleared 112 rams out of 120 offered under the hammer to 19 buyers at an average of $2233, which was up $147 on last year's result.

Last year the stud offered 140 rams and sold 127 under the hammer to a top of $7400, twice, and an average of $2086.

There were 107 Poll Merinos sold from 114 offered under the hammer at an average of $2258 (up $96 on last year), while five from six Merinos sold for an average of $1700 (up $229).

Elders stud stock manager and sale auctioneer, Nathan King, said the sale was well-supported by return buyers and achieved a positive result for the East Mundalla stud.

"It was a great line-up of Poll Merino rams in terms of consistency of type and from a stud that knows the direction they want to breed in," Mr King said.

"The rams displayed good wool cutting ability without being complicated and also showed excellent carcase and body traits as well.

"For commercial buyers, it was easy to tick off a lot of rams in the catalogue today and bid with confidence on them, knowing they are what today's market requires.

"With the consistency of the line-up, there was good solid commercial buying support all the way through the sale which was good to see.

"It was also pleasing to see there was once again good competition at the top end and a couple of high prices to start the sale which included a stud sire selling to an Eastern States' stud."

Equally as happy with the result was stud co-principal, Daniel Gooding.

He said they were very pleased with the result, in terms of prices and clearances.

"We are grateful for the support of our clients and are encouraged by the support they have shown today given the past couple of years we have gone through as an industry.

"With what has happened with the sheep markets in the past couple of months and the wool market rising, going forward it looks like it could be a pretty exciting time to be involved in the industry."

The positive result was set up early, when the first 30 rams sold for an average of $3462 and it was in these pens where the day's $13,250 top price ram was found.

It didn't take long for the top price ram to come to light when Mr King offered up an upstanding, square, highly productive sire in lot seven.

Mr King took an opening bid of $4000 on the July-drop ram carrying Wallaloo Park 100 bloodlines, and from there the price rose quickly as two buyers fought it out to win the right to take the ram home,

In the end, it was return buyers, the Taylor family, Krool Holdings, Kukerin, named as the purchaser at $13,250.

Ryan Taylor said they picked the ram out for its heavy wool cutting ability, excellent carcase traits and early growth which are all important to the Taylors as they aim to turn their wethers off as early as possible as lambs.

"He is a big, deep bodied ram with a very good rear end," Mr Taylor said.

"He also has a quality, white, bold crimping wool.

"We thought he was the best ram in the shed."

Mr Taylor said the ram would also be a new bloodline for the family's flock and that was another reason they were keen to secure it.

The Taylors will use the ram in their nucleus flock that is made up of 300 ewes to breed rams for their own use.

The 111 kilogram ram had current wool test results of 17.4 micron, 3.2 SD, 18.2 CV and 99.7 per cent comfort factor (CF), along with scans of 32mm for eye muscle depth (EMD) and 6mm for fat.

In addition to the top-priced ram, the Taylors purchased another four Poll sires from the catalogue, finishing with a team of five at an average of $5050.

The other four rams purchased by the Taylors topped at $3300 and will join their Merino sire battery that will be joined to 2400 ewes this season for a May lambing.

Along with their Merino joining, the Taylors will also join 1400 Merino ewes to White Suffolk rams this year for an April lambing.

When it comes to marketing their Merino wether lambs, Mr Taylor said they were shorn as lambs in October and run on good pasture paddocks before being background fed.

After being background fed, they are then put onto feeders where they are finished for three to four weeks before sale.

Mr Taylor said their aim was to sell a couple of lines before Christmas to processors at 18-25kg dressed and hopefully the rest would be gone by the end of January.

Just $50 shy of the sale topping ram and selling for the $13,200 second top price was a big, upstanding, well-balanced ram in lot two.

Like its top selling counterpart, this ram also created a drawn out bidding battle between two buyers.

Ultimately it was Nutrien Livestock WA development manager - sheep and Merino genetics specialist, Mitchell Crosby, who was taking bidding instructions over the phone from Tim Polkinghorne, Banavie stud, Marnoo, came out on top, securing the ram for the Banavie stud.

Mr Crosby said Mr Polkinghorne picked the ram out at the Rabobank WA Sheep Expo & Ram Sale at Katanning in August.

"He liked the ram's width of body, big soft muzzle and very good conformation," Mr Cosby said.

"He also has a really good, productive, white wool which is backed by some great test results which was also an attraction for Tim.

"He has come on a lot since Tim saw him in Katanning, so I think when he gets over to Victoria, he will be very happy when he sees him again in the flesh."

Another attraction to the Polkinghornes was the ram's bloodline, as it carries their own Banavie genetics in its pedigree.

The 108kg ram is by Banavie 13 which the East Mundalla stud purchased for $80,000 in 2022 out of the Banavie sale.

The ram has wool figures of 18 micron, 3.2 SD, 17.9 CV and 99.5pc CF and scans of 34mm for EMD and 5.5mm for fat.

Other strong supporters at the top end of the market buying two Polls each, were NF West & Co, Dumbleyung, which paid $3600 and $3500, while P & L Keley, Katanning, went to $3300 and $3100 and TR & DK Edwards, Dumbleyung, bid to $3400 and $2600

Return buyer of more than 10 years, Ian Lloyd, IF & SJ Lloyd, Newdegate, again had an impact, not only in terms of prices, but also numbers as he chased rams with plain bodies and long-stapled, white wools.

For a third year running, Mr Lloyd finished the day as the volume buyer with 17 Poll rams at an average of $2400.

In the team he purchased six rams at $3000 or more including one at $3600 and one at $3400.

The $3600 ram carried Masterbuilt 83 bloodlines and weighed in at 105kg with wool figures of 17.9 micron, 2.6 SD, 14.7 CV and 99.8pc CF, while the $3400 ram carried Wallaloo Park 100 genetics and weighed in at 102kg with wool figures of 19.7 micron, 3.1 SD, 16.0 CV and 99.2pc CF.

The Lloyds this year are looking to join 2500 ewes to Merino rams and 500 Merino ewes to White Suffolk rams for an April/May lambing.

The Lloyds aim to sell a percentage of their wether lambs at 8-9 months of age after one shearing and then carry the rest through after a second shearing and sell them at 12-13 months of age.

"They are all shorn as lambs in September and then the ones we hold over are shorn again in March," Mr Lloyd said.

"With the wethers we hold, they are run on stubbles and may be supplementary fed before they are sold over the hooks early in the new year."

The next largest buyer was return buyer, the Smith family, BB Smith, Dumbleyung, which secured a baker's dozen (13 Polls) at an average of $1662 and to a top of $2700.

Also buying double figure teams were return buyers Ken and Curtis Liebeck, KJ & RF Liebeck, Muntadgin and Vance and Cindy Nicholls, Koongai Farms, Lake King.

The Liebecks, who have been buying from East Mundalla for 30 years, showed no preference to polled or horned sires as they put together a team of nine Polls and three Merinos at an average of $2033 as they chased large framed rams with open, free-growing wools

They paid a high of $2600 for their Polls and $2800 for the Merinos, which was the highest price paid for a Merino ram in the catalogue.

The top-priced Merino had a bodyweight of 114kg with carcase scans of 34.5mm for EMD and 6.3mm for fat, on the wool front it was sold with figures of 21.5 micron, 3.0 SD, 16.5 CV and 98.8pc CF.

Ken Liebeck said they returned every year to buy from East Mundalla as the stud bred large framed rams with good wools that throw good progeny that were consistent in type.

"Since we have started buying here, we haven't gone and bought anywhere else, we are really happy with what they breed for us," Mr Liebeck said.

This year the Liebecks are looking to join 1100-1200 ewes to Merino rams and another 400 Merino ewes to Suffolk sires.

When it came to the Nicholls family, it went home with 10 Polls to a high of $1500 twice and an average of $1040.

Mr Nicholls said they have been buying rams from the stud since the 1980s and bought the first ever Poll rams the stud sold.

"Today we wanted rams which had good frame size and long-stapled, bright white wools with some grease in the tip," he said.

This year the Nicholls family will join 2000 ewes to Merinos for a March lambing.

"Our aim is to turn our lambs off as quick as possible," Mr Nicholls said.

"We sold 740 of this year's wether lambs which were dropped in April yesterday (last Monday) to a Kulin feedlot.

"They averaged 41kg at 5.5 months and $166 a head."

There were three buyers to secure eight rams each and the most influential of these in terms of prices was Roseworthy Farms Pty Ltd, Brookton, which averaged $2475 across its team that topped at $3100, while Noonan Bros, Katanning, picked up eight a $1288 average and MA & LM McDonald, Lake Grace, averaged $1638 for their eight.