BIDDING started with a flurry at Johnos stud's on-property ram sale at Keith on Monday last week, where the first lot on offer – a Border Leicester – made the $2000 equal top price.
Strong competition for the early Border Leicester lots helped lift the stud's overall top price by $300 on last year's, which was for a Poll Dorset.
Of the 114 Border Leicester rams offered, 88 sold at an average of $938 – another improvement.
Kim Thorpe, McPiggery, Kulkami, bought both top-price rams and a further seven at an average of $1511.
The first ram offered cast an imposing figure in the sale ring and had the figures to match – measuring 5.7 for weaning weight, 6.9 post-weaning weight, -0.7 Pfat, -0.3 PW eye muscle depth and 1.4 maternal weaning weight.
The other top price ram measured 5.3WWT, 8.8PWWT, -0.9 Pfat, -0.9PEMD and 1.2MWWT.
McPiggery has been using Johnos bloodlines for the past five years, and Ms Thorpe is pleased with the consistency the stud's rams have delivered.
"We'll join these rams in the next few weeks, so we're looking for good, join-able rams with good length and the figures to go with it," she said.
"Our main aim is to get to good join-able weights – about 55 kilograms to 60kg – and we've been able to achieve that with their rams in the past.
"We've had lots of success with these genetics at the Naracoorte Border Leicester first-cross ewe lamb sale."
Stud principal Neil Johnson said high growth and fertility were the main focus areas when breeding Border Leicesters.
"We're working to maintain fat and eye muscle depth on well-structured and balanced sheep to give clients the opportunity to market wether lambs as sucker lambs and get good growth rates for first-cross ewe lambs at Naracoorte."
Half of the 12 Hampshire Down rams sold, to a $1500 top and $866 average. CC Seymore & Co, Naracoorte, secured the top-price sire, which at the recent Royal Adelaide Show was sashed reserve champion Hampshire Down ram.
Johnos also offered Poll Dorsets at the sale for the second time, 33 of 56 selling to $1400 five times averaging $890.
Snapping up more than a third of the Border Leicester rams sold, Simon Pocock, Pocock Pastoral, Lameroo, was the volume buyer, taking 31 rams to $1600 averaging $951.
"We keep coming back because we know we'll get consistency in the breeding," Mr Pocock said. "We're chasing early vigour and these rams will fit that well."
Nayook South, Mount Gambier, took six Border Leicesters and two Hampshire Downs to $900 averaging $762, and Struan Research Centre secured seven Border Leicesters to $900 averaging $614.
Other volume buyers included Amherst, Keith, taking six Poll Dorsets at $600; GD&AL Virgin, Penola, five Poll Dorsets to $1100 averaging $860; and WB&ME Staude, Naracoorte, five Border Leicesters to $1100 averaging $940.
The stud has rams from all three breeds available for private selection.
The sale was conducted by Landmark and Southern Australian Livestock, with Landmark's Malcolm Scroop and SAL's Larryn Gogel auctioneers.
Jacinta Rose
Stock Journal's online editor.
Stock Journal's online editor.
