THERE was testimony to the deep offering of rams by Wimmera-based White Suffolk stud West Wail at its sale in Horsham when the top price ram came at Lot 93 out of 100 rams for sale.
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Industry stalwarts in attendance said it was a rare event to see the top price come so close to the end of a large sale.
The principals of the West Wail White Suffolk and Dohne Merino Stud, the Ellis family of Pimpinio, were happy with deep sale, which attracted strong support from a mix of local and out of district demand.
The evenness was also borne out in the pricing – there was a solid average of $1470, with the top price only going for $1800, meaning prices were closely bunched to reflect the uniformity of the offering.
The top price ram was sold to David Sudholz, Natimuk, while Ian and Bernadette Dyer, Telangatuk, were the volume buyers, purchasing 20 rams.
The stud also offered 49 Dohne Merinos, which averaged a healthy $861, with the top price ram making $1650, purchased by Murray Block, Goroke, with 31 lots selling.
The demand for the Dohnes was widespread.
Stock agent Ian Kyle, Sharp Fulgrabe Livestock, Bairnsdale, went back to Gippsland with a consignment of 10 rams.
The Dohne breed is not yet a common sight in the medium to high rainfall zones of Gippsland but is increasing in popularity.
A buyer also came from central NSW, with John Nadin, Macquarie Dohne Stud, Warren, NSW, taking home three rams.
In the White Suffolk division there were a lot of buyers purchasing multiple rams from local areas, while the West Wail team also reported significant numbers of repeat buyers.
One of the stud principals, Luke Ellis, said he was thrilled with the sale.
“It was good to see the interest remain high right from the beginning to the last ram,” he said.
Mr Kyle has a connection to the Ellis family, having previously worked scanning the family’s flock.
He has a group of Gippsland clients interested in the dual purpose capabilities of the Dohne breed, which along with genuine medium fine wool has good carcase characteristics.
Luke’s brother Jason said he felt the solid pricing throughout the White Suffolk portion of the sale was related to demand.
“There were a number of people who attended the sale but didn’t manage to buy one, so we’ve had good demand afterwards which is fantastic,” he said.
“We are seeing more and more demand for the White Suffolks as people see the good margins that are in prime lambs at present.”
The West Wail White Suffolk stud is based on a combination of Detpa Grove, Allendale and Anden Stud lines.
They have been bred for high fertility, good growth rates and sound constitutions and handle both wet and dry conditions.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
