THE strength of SA’s seedstock was on full display during 2018, with plenty of showstopping sale results defying seasonal conditions in many areas.
For the third year running, an Australian Black Simmental record was set at the Woonallee Elite Production sale, held at Furner in February.
There was total clearance of 101 traditional, Black Simmental and SimAngus bulls, with the sale topped by 20-month-old, 758-kilogram Woonallee Messiah M170 at $52,500, bought by Lewis Farms, Alberta, Canada.
Buyer Kyle Lewis was bidding via phone hook-up with Elders Naracoorte manager Tom Dennis, with the sale to Canada a first for the Woonallee stud.
Messiah was sired by Woonallee Horizon H211 and out of Woonallee Charo J252.
Fast-paced bidding was also seen at the Granite Ridge Angus sale at Avenue Range, with 11 bulls making $10,000 or more, including the $26,000 sale-topper.
Stud principals Colin Flanagan and Pat Ebert were rewarded for another outstanding line-up, with 71 of 78 bulls sold, averaging $7740.
Granite Ridge Magnificent M107 took top price honours. The eye appealing, March 2016-drop, AI-bred son of Texas Western Express H639 weighed 1044kg and was bought by Allan and Coralee Gillogly, Montrose, Moree, NSW.
The Days Whiteface/Allendale combined Poll Hereford sale at Bordertown also topped at $26,000, rewarding Days Whiteface’s decision to sell all its top bulls on-farm.
The sale-topper, Days Horizon M028, offered by Lachy and Lou Day, was in the top 1 per cent on Breedplan for gestation length, scrotal size and eye muscle area, plus the top 5pc on carcaseweight and all the breed's indices.
Yarram Park Herefords, Willaura, Vic, which flew in on a one-bull mission, was the successful buyer of the Days Wizard J204 son.
Overall, Days Whiteface sold 44 of 49 bulls offered for a superb $10,049 average, while Allendale stud’s Alastair and Jayne Day sold 33 of 36 bulls offered to $18,000 and averaging $6727.
At Pathfinder stud’s 21st annual SA sale, 120 of 124 bulls offered by Nick and Sara Moyle averaged a sensational $8608 at their Naracoorte sale. Pathfinder Docklands M35, made the sale’s top price of $24,000, bought by Landmark’s Richard Miller for the Tiller family’s Goolagong stud, Warnertown.
MAGIC PRICES FOR MERINOS
The state’s Merino ram sales defied the dry times across much of SA, with many near total clearances at on-property sales.
A massive woolly ram nicknamed ‘Gawny’ took Pinnaroo Merino breeders, the Schroeder family, to the top of the leaderboard, attracting the season’s top price of $60,000.
Sold to the Superior Wool Syndicate at the Classings Classic sale at Murray Bridge in September, the 21.5-micron ram’s lofty price was a record for the multi-vendor sale.
The Schroeders are ardent Melbourne Demons footy supporters and have named many of the top rams in their Gunallo stud after players from the club, and it was fitting they chose ruckman Max Gawn for the 128kg, 16-month-old Gunallo 460 son.
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Prices were also red hot at the Adelaide Ram Sale – held during the Royal Adelaide Show – despite the start of the sale being delayed by a smoke alarm, with 13 rams making $20,000 or more.
George and Sophie Millington, Collinsville stud, Hallett, regained the sale’s top price honours, receiving $46,000 for Masterbuilt 170053, bought by WA breeder Philip Gooding, East Mundalla, Tarin Rock.
The May 2017-drop Poll Merino ram, which weighed 125kg, was the Riverina Wool Hogget of the Year at the Hay Sheep Show, NSW, in June.
John and Marg, Wes and Jacqui Daniell, White River stud, Poochera, set the Merino on-property price benchmark this season, selling a horned ram at $18,000 in August.
The 19.3M ram, sired by the homebred W750, had a magnificent covering of medium wool which tested well, including a 2.4 standard deviation, 12.4 coefficient of variation and 99.9pc comfort factor.
Paul Cousins, Cousins Merino Services, Burra, placed the bid for buyer Scott Crosby, Rossden Partners, St Quentin stud, Nyabing, WA, with Shane Mackin, Kamballie stud, Tammin, WA, buying a semen share.
At Glenville stud’s on-property auction at Cowell, a ram dubbed a “true dual-purpose animal” made the $16,000 top price.
The 21.9M ram was snapped up by Colin McCrabb, Avenel Poll Merinos, Wanganella, NSW.
BIG BIDS FOR POLL DORSETS
The Rowett family was all smiles after its combined Ulandi Park Poll Dorset and North Ulandi White Suffolk ram sale at Marrabel, clearing all 161 rams to a sale record of $18,000 and averaging $2014.
Ulandi Park 170151Tw made the $18,000 top price. Bidding via phone through Superior Selections, the partnership of Ben Prentice, Kurralea stud, Ariah Park, NSW, and Grant and Bryce Hausler, Janmac stud, Goroke, Vic, placed the winning bid.
The ram was sired by Valma 150424, and had figures of 0.4 birthweight, 14.3 post-weaning weight, -0.7 fat and 2.1 eye muscle depth, culminating in a Carcase Plus index of 200.
Meanwhile, an Allendale Poll Dorset ram making $17,000 was among many highlights at the outstanding 46th annual Allendale/Days Whiteface sale at Bordertown.
In their largest ever offering, Alastair and Jayne Day’s Allendale stud and Lachy and Lou Day’s Days Whiteface studs sold 412 of 469 rams and ewes across four different breeds for a $1763 average.
Kreeside stud manager Peter Williams, Mount Torrens, staved off strong competition to buy the sale-topper – a son of Derrynock 183/13 – for owner Shirley Willison.
GREENFIELDS’ SHOW SUCCESS
A massive, strong wool, horned ram with great presence from Greenfields stud, Hallett, overshadowed the competition during the Royal Adelaide Show Merino judging, helping the Sullivan family secure its second supreme exhibit win at Adelaide in four years.
The 170kg, 21.6M Greenfields 6.1 – aptly named Lofty – was AI-bred from Hinesville Pharoah, the 2015 NSW Ram of the Year.
Greenfields stud co-principal Robert Sullivan said the upstanding sire was the biggest the stud had ever bred, but also one of the best.
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In the prime lamb and maternal interbreed judging, interstate studs nabbed the red and white ribbons, with Premier Meat Machine winning supreme ram for Premier stud, Oberon, NSW, and Jackson Border Leicesters, Moyston, Vic, winning the supreme ewe title.
In the interbreed cattle ring, 20-month-old Angus sire Pine Creek Newsman N003, exhibited by Greg and Sharon Fuller and their daughter Christie Kennedy, Cowra, NSW, was sashed supreme exhibit, following on from its success at the Ekka in Brisbane.
