Market confidence reflected in results at annual Charleville Dorper sale

The mood was certain and buyers were keen at the Charleville Showgrounds on Tuesday, March 24, resulting in a solid sale for the annual Charleville Dorper and White Dorper ram sale.

As news of a new $500 national lamb price record rippled around the stands, the 22 bid card holders at Charleville competed strongly for all 111 rams in front of them, resulting in a 100 per cent clearance for the six vendors.

Nutrien's Colby Ede took the bids for the hour-and-a-half long sale, including the top price of $6200 being paid twice.

The first to outlay that money were Stewart and Tracy Sargent, Granville Proprietors, at Quilpie and Eromanga, for Winrae 255615, a Dorper twin and the 13-month-old son of Winrae Thor 200149 and Whynot 200138, the dam.

Ten lots later, Darrawong Pastoral at Cunnamulla went to $6200 for Amarula 244778, a Dorper ram.

Also a twin, aged 17 months, his sire was Amarula Faianga 210044 and his dam was Amarula 221035.

The overall sale average was $2472, while the breakdown saw the 64 Dorpers sold bring an average of $2721 while the 41 White Dorper rams sold for an average price of $2131.

The top price paid for a White Dorper ram atthe sale was the second-last lot offered, Boondarra 250056, bringing $3600.

A single lamb, he was sired by Boondarra Seal 190006, with Boondarra 210244 the dam.

The prices compared favourably to last year's rain-affected sale, which saw 95 of 111 rams sell for a clearance rate of 86 per cent, a sale average of $1817, and a top price of $4800.

Justin and Lorroi Kirkby, Amarula Dorpers, are one of the sale's foundation vendors and said Tuesday's sale was as strong as they'd seen in the six or so years it had been running.

"Full clearance is the mark of success, whereas the price is governed by seasons," Mr Kirkby said. "It was the most consistent line-up of rams the sale has presented, which I think buyers appreciated."

Of their $6200 ram, they said he was a masculine, solid ram with good fat coverage, which was what was needed in the country the sale covered.

"When it gets dry you want quick growing and finishing lambs," Ms Kirkby said.

It was the Darrawong Pastoral partnership's first purchase of Amarula genetics, and Grant Bredhauer said while they usually used Dell rams, they were after the thickness that Amarula rams offered.

"We've changed our program - we're putting all our lambs in feedlots, which has freed up a lot of country for breeding ewes," he said. "That meant we needed more rams."

As well as Amarula rams, he bought rams from Boondarra, an Amarula daughter stud.

Amarula's top White Dorper price was $3400, $200 under the sale's top price.

Stewart and Tracy Sargent were also new faces at the sale, having bought two Winrae rams at its on-property sale earlier this year.

They, along with their $6200 purchase on Tuesday, will go in with the top 200-330 classed ewes in their Eromanga flock, so they can breed some rams of their own.

"He was a good style of ram," Ms Sargent said. "We liked that he had a ClassiMate score of 9."

They generally send their lambs direct to works, usually at Dubbo, NSW, but received $11.90/kg at Colac in southern Victoria last year.

The ram's breeders, Nick and Mel Pagett said he was only young and still had a lot of growing to do for the Sargents.

"He's a Thor son, still one of our leading sires. He breeds consistent, deep, well-muscled sires, and he has that soft wetness to his skin."

Wayne and Karen Dingle, Smit Dorpers and Boondarra White Dorpers at Morven, were happy with their $3600 top White Dorper price, saying it was up there with other years.

"It changes every year, whether buyers favour White Dorpers or Dorpers more - it just depends where they're up to in their cross-breeding program," they said.

They said they appreciated the strong local support for their rams - it was Morven breeders Brent and Teresa Gadsby who bought the top ram.

Boasting a ClassiMate score of 10, Ms Dingle said he was well-proportioned.

She added that they had been a bit unsure how the sale would go, saying that while the market was good, the season was dry in southern parts of the state, and a lot was going on in the world.

Longreach's Richard Anderson was the sale's bulk buyer, selecting 34 rams, while Mirage Land and Water at Cunnamulla bought 13 rams, and fellow Cunnamulla producer Carol Godfrey finished with nine rams to her account.

Mirage Land and Water manager Nick Forbes said they'd had a long relationship with both Winrae and Amarula, saying they offered good fertility, great yields, quick growth and consistency.

Vendor averages

• Smit Dorpers and Boondarra White Dorpers, Morven: 32/32, $2318 average
• Amarula Dorpers and White Dorpers, Moree, NSW: 27/27, $3118 average
• Winrae Dorpers, Bundarra, NSW: 16/16, $2875 average
• Boonoon Dorpers and White Dorpers, Thallon: 28/28, $1892 average
• Basecamp White Dorpers, Kogan: 8/8, $2125 average

• Selling agent - Nutrien, interfaced with AuctionsPlus