NEW buyers joined enthusiastic long-time clients at Aroona Park's annual White Suffolk ram sale on Monday, driving a record top price and jump in average.
Held at Grantley and Trish Siviour's Glenowen property, Cleve, the Yorke Peninsula stud of Peter and Julie Button has its roots in Eyre Peninsula as one of the foundation White Suffolk studs in the region.
Aroona Park's reputation remains strong in the district and this year's top price of $1400 - a rise of $400 on 2014 figures - is testament to that, setting a new record for the Buttons, who bought the stud in 2011.
The record top-price and competitive bidding pushed the average to $764, up $44 from $720 last year, with 46 of the 49 rams offered sold.
Jack and Michelle Curtis, Coodloloo, Cowell, bought the catalogue toppers at $1400 each.
The May 2014-drop pair ranked among the best across all indicators and displayed the carcase the industry demanded, with a well-rounded back end and good early growth.
Lot five, a twin from the Wingamin family, had the best Carcase Plus index of the pair at 197. Other Lambplan figures included 15.1 post-weaning weight, -0.4 post-weaning fat depth and 1.7 post-weaning eye muscle depth.
Lot four, a Tapton progeny, had figures of 194CPI, 14.7PWWT, -0.5PFAT and 1.7PEMD.
Mr Curtis has been sourcing Aroona genetics from the stud's inception nine years ago, and said the evenness of rams was exemplary.
"They are very broad and square from the shoulders all the way down to the hind legs," he said.
Mr Curtis runs a mixed-farming enterprise at Cowell and has had consistent results with the first-cross lambs from Merino ewes and Aroona stud stock.
The Curtis family returned home with four rams.
Two rams, both twins, went to $1200, the sale's second top-price.
Taken at lots three and seven, they were secured by first-time Aroona Park buyer the Hegarty family, Wudinna, and return client AR&LM Hentschke, Cleve.
The Hegartys bought three more sires and the Hentschkes took four.
There was a total of 16 registered bidders, with DJ&KM Hannemann, Cleve, putting together the largest team of seven to $600. Other volume buyers included TA&ML Grosser, Cleve, five to $800, and SM Loechel, Cleve, four to $700.
