The 2018 British Breed on-property ram selling season will be remembered as one of mixed fortunes for studs, depending on their geographical location.
South East sales were the shining light with high clearances and averages lifting as much as $300 to $400 as buyers reinvested extraordinary lamb prices in a good season.
But the dry conditions did take their toll on some clearance rates in the Mallee, Mid North and Eyre Peninsula, especially White Suffolk sales where there had been a big increase in numbers.
The Day families, Allendale and Days Whiteface studs, Bordertown, continued to set the benchmark with a massive 412 head sold from their four breeds, including $17,000 for a Poll Dorset ram.
Elders SA stud stock manager Tony Wetherall said there was “tremendous confidence” in the sheep industry but the individual sale results were dependent on the numbers of old ewes which had been sold by studs’ clients.
“People are very confident about where the industry is at and they were willing to pay for rams based on the outlook of where prices could be in the new year and well into the future,” he said.
Mr Wetherall said the Border Leicester breed recorded some of the biggest rises.
“We had a few more numbers absorbed but demand still outpaced supply – it would be hard to find a Border ram still for sale,” he said.
“It just shows the high demand for breeding first-crosses and while 1.5-year-old and ewe lambs made very good money in the sales last year it will be interesting to see what happens this year.”
Mr Wetherall said those studs that had opted to sell their best rams on-property had become a real feature of the sales calendar, including Coolawang, Mundulla, which soared to a $14,500 high and had three rams make $10,000 or more.
In other highlights Ulandi Park Poll Dorset stud, Marrabel, set an $18,000 stud record and Ella Matta stud, Parndana, received $15,500 for a White Suffolk ram.
Landmark stud stock manager Gordon Wood described sales throughout the state as “solid” but said many SE sales had “fantastic” averages and clearances.
“They were very well-supported by locals who had the benefit of selling lambs and others having feed in front of them to finish to target weights, knowing contracts of $7.50 a kilogram to $8/kg were being offered,” he said.
Mr Wood said there had been an oversupply of White Suffolk rams in “pockets” near Karoonda and Burra, which had been compounded by the dry season.
“In self-replacing Merino flocks the older ewes which normally go to terminals have been the first to go,” he said. “They have kept the nucleus of their breeding flock and the terminal dams have been sold for good money with $80 worth of wool and a carcase worth $160 or better, which has been a real plus in a dry season.”
Mr Wood said buyers were accustomed to using Lambplan figures in their selections, particularly looking for early growth and there was a “big push” to use lamb eating quality indexes where they were available.
