Ultra consistent sale as Elton Downs marks milestone with full clearance
An extra 52 rams offered by Elton Downs White Suffolks, Karoonda, did not have any impact on the sale clearance on Friday last week, as all 200 rams found new homes.
The final wash up for the Rudiger family in their milestone tenth annual on-property auction was a strikingly consistent sale that topped at $3400 three times and averaged $1808, a $135 increase on last year when 148 rams were offered.
Elton Downs principal Chris Rudiger was pleased with the presence of new and volume buyers, and a full clearance of auction rams.
"I felt like it was a really good sale for both us as vendors and buyers as well," he said.
"To clear all the rams is what we're aiming for and the average will take care of itself."
On a strikingly consistent offering of rams, bidding reached the sale high of $3400 on three separate occasions.
Lot 4, used as a ram lamb within the stud, was snapped up by Sapphire Livestock, Balaklava.
Weighing 131 kilograms, the June 2025-drop son of Gemini 230236 had a good data set, ranking in the top 5 per cent on weaning weight (13.9), post weaning weight (22.6), PFAT (1.13) and the terminal carcase production index (163.9), as well as the top 10pc on eye muscle depth (3.89).
Making the same money was Lot 11 to Coleburra, Culburra.
The Poll Merino stud uses White Suffolk rams over its cull ewes for crossbred lamb production.
Also used as a ram lamb, the 129kg June 2025-drop ram was also a Gemini 230236 son and ranked in the top 5pc on WWT (13.2), PWWT (21.3), PEMD (4.1) and TCP (171.6).
The third leg of the $3400 trifecta was knocked down to Barnes Ag, sheep producers and contract harvesters from Lowan Vale, near Bordertown.
Weighing 120kg, Lot 36 was a Boree Park 231132 son and a July 2025-drop, ranking in the top 20pc on PWWT (18.2), PEMD (3.4) and PFAT (0.63).
In terms of volume buyers, a Yorke Peninsula and Mallee client ended with nine rams on their bid cards.
This was Correll Biz Farming, Arthurton, averaging $1377, and JM Farley, Peake, averaging $1111.
Four buyers finished with eight rams - Zacker Pastoral, Tintinara, averaging $2050; CLRS Trading Trust, Rhynie, averaging $2275; DP&VL Jacobs, Coonalpyn, averaging $1625; and Glenryden Proprietors, Kybunga, averaging $2250.
Spence Dix & Co conducted the sale with Luke Schreiber, Jack Guy and Jono Spence sharing the auctioneering duties.
Mr Schreiber said the sale was undoubtedly good value for buyers, with great quality rams available in the $1200 to $1500 region.
"I always get comments every year about how deep the catalogue is and how good the rams are right at the end," he said.
"50 extra rams was a big step up but they've got the numbers in the background. They've got a big, big stud flock now so they can keep that cull rate high and have a really good lineup"
