Leading Dorper genetics sold to strong buying support from across the country
Leading Dorper and White Dorper genetics sold to strong buying support from throughout the country at the annual Kaya Production Sale at Narrogin last week.
The Veitch family presented a quality sale catalogue of 151 Dorper and White Dorper 2025-drop rams and ewes at the Narrogin Ram Pavilion.
A number of local buyers attended the sale in person inspecting the stock and enjoying the family's hospitality, while there was huge interest from five different States on the online selling platform StockLive.
Strong bidding from start to finish saw local and interstate buyers (and one international) notch up a successful result with solid clearance and values throughout all sections.
White Dorpers flipped the lid on the Dorpers' resurgence last year with greater buying support from both WA and interstate stud and commercial buyers, seeing sharp lifts in values for White Dorper rams and ewes.
Local Narrogin and surrounding Great Southern regions, South West and Central Wheatbelt buyers represented the buying register in the shed and StockLive featured 28 active online bidders and 69 viewers.
StockLive buyers placed 789 bids across 120 lots (87 per cent of the catalogue) with 84 lots selling to online buyers to WA, South Australia, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and ACT and an international buyer in India.
Elders conducted this year's sale in conjunction with Nutrien Livestock and at the end of selling, Elders auctioneer Nathan King and the selling teams had sold 88 of 100 Dorper and White Dorper rams (88pc) at auction for an average of $2959.
This was down $289 on average price and down 7pc on clearance rate compared to last year's sale where collectively, 104 of 109 rams (95pc) sold for an average of $3248.
In the lineup of ewes, all bar one of the 51 Dorper and White Dorper ewes sold at auction for a combined average of $1315.
This was a strong jump of $517 on last year's average of $798 where a full clearance of 50 ewes averaged $798.
Dorper Rams
The run of 50 Dorper rams got the sale underway and while there was strong demand from local and interstate buyers, it wasn't at the same lofty height which led to last year's cracking result for the breed.
At auction, 44 rams were sold (88pc) for an average of $2459, down by $1263 on last year's sale where all 49 rams sold for an average of $3722.
The sale's $5000 top-priced Dorper ram was knocked down to interstate Kaya buyer Brock Martin, Diamond Dorper stud, Broken Hill, NSW, on StockLive.
Penned in lot 43, the mid-April 2025 born ram was sired by a Kaya 'Champ' 210898 son, Kaya 230083 and out of a Kaya 'Nkosi' 180925 daughter, Kaya 210491.
The type five 95kg ram (weighed October 6) recorded a strong spread of ASBV performance of -0.34 birthweight (BWT) (top 30pc), 7.8 weaning weight (WWT), 12.5 post weaning weight (PWWT), 1.0 post weaning fat (PFAT) (top 30pc), 2.2 post weaning eye muscle depth (PEMD) (top 30pc), 14 lambs weaned (NLW) (top 10pc), 3.3 dress, 2.0 lean meat yield (LMY), -0.5 intra muscular fat (IMF), 0.6 shearforce 5 (SF5) and 146.7 maternal carcase production (MCP) (top 30pc).
It was Mr Martin's first time buying from the sale having previously purchased Kaya genetics privately recently.
He said he liked the phenotype of the Kaya sheep and the data they have to back them up.
"From what I could see in the videos, he is a pretty well structured and athletic ram," Mr Martin said.
"A well balanced ram with good post weaning weight and reproduction traits and pretty good average meat eating quality for a Dorper ram."
One of Kaya stud's longest supporting clients of more than 20 years, the Stade family, Stade Farming, Katanning, purchased six Dorper rams and included the $4200 second top-priced Dorper ram, which is likely heading into the family's nucleus breeding program.
The powerful 130kg mid-April 2025 born ram was sired by a Kaya 'Atlas' 210881 son (Kaya 230352) and out of a Kaya 'Stephans' 180129 daughter (Kaya 200338) and displayed high ranking ASBVs of -0.18 BWT, 9.7 WWT (top 10pc), 15.1 PWWT (top 10pc), -0.3 PFAT, 1.4 PEMD, 12 NLW (top 10pc), 2.6 dress, 3.7 LMY (top 10pc), -1.36 IMF, 2.9 SF5 and 141.8 MCP (top 30pc).
A StockLive buyer from Burra, South Australia, was the most influential on the Dorper rams, finishing with a team of 14 Dorpers costing from $1600-$3600 and a White Dorper ram for $5400.
Another interstate online buyer from Bourke, NSW, collected five Dorper rams costing $1600-$2600, while NB & KL Frearson, Wongan Hills, purchased four Dorper rams to a $3600 top price and strong average of $3250.
White Dorper rams
Attention swung to the team of 50 White Dorper rams and it was clear from the outset, buyers' appetite for White Dorper rams had increased from last year.
Strong interstate and local buying support in the shed significantly improved values with 44 rams (88pc) selling under the hammer for an average of $3459.
This drove a $624 spike rise in average price from a reduced clearance as compared to last year's sale where 55 of 60 rams sold (92pc), for an average of $2825.
Operating on StockLive, strong stud supporters of top-end Kaya sires for about seven years, the Kennedy family, Canonbar White Dorper stud, Nyngan, NSW, averaged a healthy $6667 for three new White Dorper sires.
Their team included the sale's $7800 top-priced ram, the breed's sale team leader in lot one from Kaya's show team.
The productive 127.5kg type five ram by NSW sire Youlden Valley 220053 and out of Kaya White 220087 recorded ASBVs of -0.07 BWT, 8.8 WWT (top 30pc), 13.6 PWWT (top 30pc), -0.6 PFAT, -0.2 PEMD, 2.0 dress, 2.6 LMY, -0.46 IMF, -0.3 SF5 (top 30pc) and 132.8 MCP.
The Kennedys purchased another Youlden Valley 220053 son for $6000 and a Kaya White 230507 son for $6200.
The Kennedys run a mixed cropping, breeding/trade cattle, commercial/stud sheep enterprise on their 10,100 hectare property in central NSW.
Their Canonbar stud primarily breeds flock rams for their own 7000 commercial White Dorper ewes while they also sell commercial rams privately, mainly into western NSW.
Andrew Kennedy said they try and buy Kaya's top-end rams and stud sires.
"Chasing growth, weaning weight, post weaning weight, always looking for the cleaner shedding rams and interested in the shear force eating quality figures," he said.
"Figures are one aspect, but we pay particular attention to phenotype."
The Kennedy's ewes lamb in autumn and winter lambings with 1500 autumn lambing ewes rejoined in May to have their second lamb for the year in spring.
The winter lambing ewes will generally be double lambers the following year.
Mr Kennedy said they marked 117pc lambs across all ewes including maidens from the first two lambings with the spring lambing ewes lambing again now.
Lambs are weaned and finished on lucerne and grazing crops and wether lambs marketed direct to processors.
Mr Kennedy said they have been over the moon with what the Kaya genetics had done for their flock.
"Kaya are among, if not the leading White Dorper stud, in Australia, and since we have been with them, we have seen improvements in growth and frame," he said.
"We have been in White Dorpers for almost 15 years, they are a big part of our enterprise."
The sale's $7200 second top-priced White Dorper ram was purchased by long-time Kaya stud buyer the Hoffrichter family, Wiabuna White Dorper stud, Ceduna, SA, represented at the sale by Nutrien Livestock Breeding Services manager, Roy Addis.
The 102kg late April drop type five ram was sired by Kaya White 230661 with ASBVs of -0.43 BWT (top 30pc), 6.2 WWT, 11 PWWT, -0.4 PFAT, 2.8 PEMD (top 10pc), 3.3 dress (top 10pc), 3.4 LMY (top 30pc), -0.45 IMF (top 30pc), -2.9 SF5 (top 10pc) and 139.3 MCP.
Return buyers Lexden Grazing Pty Ltd, Capel, averaged $4800 on their way to collecting three White Dorper rams paying to a $7000 top price for a 101kg late July drop ram by Kaya White 230439 with ASBVs in the top 10pc for PWWT and top 30pc for WWT, dress, LMY and SF5.
Other return buyers, the Yost family, Liberty White Dorper stud, Toodyay, purchased two White Dorper rams for $4600 and $6600.
Their top bid went to a 116.5kg early April drop type five ram by Kaya White 230118 with ASBVs in the top 10pc for dress and SF5 and top 30pc for WWT, PWWT, PEMD, LMY, IMF, and MCP.
The Yosts other purchase was a 100kg late April drop type five half brother by Kaya White 230118.
The family run a stud/nucleus White Dorper flock to breed their own flock and private commercial sale rams for their 1000 commercial purebred White Dorper ewes, alongside their renowned Liberty Charolais and Shorthorn cattle studs.
Kevin Yost said they basically treat their White Dorper sheep like 'mini cattle' and get weight into them as quickly as possible with a focus on dressing percentage, fats and post weaning weight.
Mr Yost said to hit different markets throughout the year, they lamb older ewes in March-April and 10-12 month-old ewe lambs in June-July and in the spring.
"We sent wether lambs off the other day, dressing up to 45kg at six months old," he said.
"Given the lack of rain this year, I was surprised with the weight of the lambs, it's been incredible."
Mr Addis also represented volume buyer Billa Kalina Pastoral, Port Augustus, SA, who purchased 10 White Dorper rams for an average of $2140.
A stud from Duramana, NSW, on StockLive purchased six White Dorper rams for an average of $2267 while a Queensland buyer on StockLive from Cunnamulla secured three White Dorper rams for an average of $4400.
Dorper ewes
The sale's run of ewes kicked off with 25 Dorper ewes with all bar one ewe selling at auction for an average of $898 with StockLive buyers dominating the clerking sheets.
This was up $76 on average compared to last year's sale where a complete clearance of 27 Dorper ewes sold for an average of $822.
Values topped at $2800 for a 62.5kg late July born Kaya 230780 daughter and recorded ASBVs of -0.08 BWT, 8.7 WWT (top 30pc), 13.3 PWWT (top 30pc), -1.4 PFAT, 0.4 PEMD, 14 NLW (top 10pc), 1.8 dress, 3.9 LMY (top 10pc), -1.34 IMF, 1.9 SF5 and 136.6.
The ewe was one of five Dorper ewes and four White Dorper ewes purchased by a StockLive buyer from Salisbury Plains, NSW, costing an overall average of $1411.
Another NSW StockLive buyer from Kentucky South was volume buyer of Dorper ewes with a team of nine ewes averaging $778, while a StockLive buyer from Amherst, ACT, secured four Dorper ewes at good value for money, averaging $588.
White Dorper ewes
A team 26 White Dorper ewes completed proceedings and like their male stablemates, drew strong support to record significant gains on last year.
A complete clearance and a $1700 average marked an additional clearance of three White Dorper ewes and a sharp $930 lift in average from last year's sale where all 23 White Dorper ewes sold for an average of $770.
A StockLive buyer from Port Augusta, SA, dominated this section of the sale and was steadfast in their bidding on their way to collecting a team of 17 White Dorper ewes for an average of $1897.
They bid to the sale's top ewe price of $2900 deep into the run for a late June born ewe by Kaya White 230552 with ASBVs of -0.52 BWT (top 10pc), 4.3 WWT, 8.6 PWWT, 0.4 PFAT, 2.5 PEMD, 3.2 dress (top 10pc), 2.2 LMY, -0.09 IMF (top 30pc), -5.6 SF5 (top 5pc) and 136.1 MCP.
The Yost family added five White Dorper ewes to their account for an average of $1210.
