ON the back of strong flock ram demand, the Day families achieved a 95 per cent clearance across their four-breed, 447-head offering at their 45th on-property sale at Bordertown on Friday.
The lineup of Alastair and Jayne Day’s Allendale Suffolks and Poll Dorsets, and Lachy and Lou Day’s Days Whiteface White Suffolks and maternal composites attracted 116 registered bidders representing four states, with 367 rams clearing to $12,000 and 56 of 80 ewes selling to $2500 twice.
Bidding for the White Suffolk stud ram offering was particularly strong, and the first of the 18 White Suffolk rams offered – Days 160135Twin, sired by Triggervale 140835 – achieved the sale’s $12,000 top price.
With balanced figures of 14.6 post-weaning weight, -0.7 PW fat, 1.6 PW eye muscle depth and a Carcase Plus Index of 193.8, the ram was knocked down to Martin and Kirsty Harvey, Paxton stud, Western Flat.
Long-time client of the Day family’s studs Jeff McCallum, Willochra Props, Melrose, went to $10,000 to secure Days 160340Twin, the reserve junior champion White Suffolk ram at this year’s Royal Adelaide Show. Mr McCallum later bought an Allendale Suffolk ram at $6500 as well.
Andrew and Tania Frick, Padthaway, bought two Adelaide prizewinning rams at $7000 and $3000 from this draft for their Gypsum Hill White Suffolk stud.
Making the trip from Hagley, Tas, Chris Badcock paid $6000 for his ram of choice, Days 160213Twin.
Leigh Richards, Tongara stud, Coonalpyn, and Kathy Simons, Pembroke stud, Telangatuk East, Vic, also paid $6000 for Days Whiteface stud rams.
The 18 White Suffolk stud rams averaged a solid $4416.
The 17 Allendale Suffolk stud rams averaged $4323 and hit a high of $9000 twice.
Allendale 161901, a winner of six blue ribbons and three broad ribbons at the Adelaide and Melbourne royal shows, was the first to hit the $9000 top, bought by Allan Gum, Lowen Hills stud, Lameroo.
Sired by A141434, it boasted excellent Lambplan figures, culminating in a Carcase Plus Index of 173.7.
Mr Gum then added A161814, a long and powerful son of the New Zealand ram Mornish 120018, for $6000, and A161944Tw by A100588 for $4000.
Brett Shepherd, Mullinger Park, Kybybolite – bidding by phone through independent consultant Leigh Allan – bought the other $9000 Suffolk, Allendale 161971Twin.
This ram impressed with its length, balance and depth of muscling and was a first prize winner in both Adelaide and Melbourne in the pair of rams classes.
Extending the run of good prices in the Suffolks, Lachy Kelly, Mooramook, Caramut, Vic, paid $8000 for Allendale 161813, a first prize winner in Melbourne.
The well-presented Allendale Poll Dorset lineup averaged $2750, with more than half going to astute flock ram buyers. The draft reached $4000 three times, with top rams bought by Lachlan Grundy, Lake Roy stud, Naracoorte, AJ&PA McBride, Lucindale, and Charlie Koch, Tallageira Pastoral Co, buying through Landmark Naracoorte’s David Heinrich.
The 85 Allendale Poll Dorset flock rams topped at $2000 and averaged $1604, up nearly $300 on last year’s result.
Nicholas and Lisa Rowett, Mundulla, paid the equal $2000 top among their six purchases averaging $1883. Bergan Park, Keith, also paid to $2000, averaging $1783 across its six rams.
Brian Johnson and Sam Limbert, LS Johnson & Son, bought 21 Poll Dorset flock rams, bidding to $1900 and averaging $1667.
Talinga, Naracoorte, with seven rams averaging $1743 and MJ Tilley, Adelaide, also with seven averaging $1429, were other prominent buyers.
The Allendale Suffolk flock rams continued the strong trend, with all 45 clearing to $1900 and averaging $1220.
D&C Brown, Padthaway, buying through Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen’s Richard Harvey, paid to $1900 for four averaging $1625.
Volume Suffolk buyers included CG,CL&DJ Groth, Keith, with six rams averaging $1600; AS&SJ Lowe, Mundulla, with six averaging $833; and CN&JA Paltridge with six averaging $933.
SN&LJ Longbottom, Bordertown, were strong bidders in the draft of 137 White Suffolk flock rams, with eight to $1600 averaging $1338.
There were 40 individual buyers in this large draft, driving the price up to a $2200 top and $1437 average, up $209 on last year.
Denholm Green, through Landmark Mortlake, paid the $2200 top price and averaged $1783 across six rams.
In the ewes, 36 of 40 Allendale Suffolks cleared to a new stud high of $2500, paid twice by James Cleland, through Rodwells Horsham, Vic. Mr Cleland bought 18 ewes averaging $972.
Only two of eight Poll Dorset ewes found new homes, while 18 of 32 White Suffolks were sold.
The 4.5 hour-long sale concluded with 49 Days Whiteface maternal composites.
Elders Naracoorte’s Tom Dennis and Alan Thompson combined resources to buy 13 rams averaging $1862 on behalf of the Baker Group, Furner. These included the two top price rams at $2400.
TW&EN MacKereth, through Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen Naracoorte, took 10 to $2300, averaging $1710.
JL Paltridge, Kingston, chimed in with eight maternal composites, paying to $1400 and averaging $1250.
The sale was conducted by Spence Dix & Co, Landmark and Elders, with Spence Dix & Co’s Jono Spence, Landmark’s Gordon Wood and Elders’ Ross Milne taking turns on the rostrum.