Janmac's milestone marked with huge av jump

At their 15^th annual production sale at Goroke, Vic, 199 Poll Dorset and White Suffolk rams sold to $5500 and averaged $1903 - more than $500 higher than their 2018 auction.

With 55 registered buyers among the crowd, bidding was strong from the start, with 20 Poll Dorset stud rams selling to the sale top and averaging $2940.

The sale peak came at lot 2, with Janmac 180027 snapped up by Charlie Koch, Tallegeira Pastoral Co, Frances, for his Poll Dorset stud. The sale-topper was by Kurralea 160234, which was bought in conjunction with Ulandi Park stud, Marrabel, for $15,000 in 2017.

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Paying the sale's second-highest price of $5400 for lot 10 - Janmac 180446, a Ulandi Park 160141 son - was long-term repeat client Brian Kester and family, Appleton Park, Benayeo, Vic.

Darryl Hobbs, Douglas, Vic, also bid strongly, picking up lot 3, Janmac 180058, for $5000, as did Ian and Hazel Sutherland, Deloraine Downs Poll Dorsets, Coleraine, Vic, who paid $4800 for their new stud sire, Janmac 180024, which had a 49-millimetre eye muscle depth.

Leading the volume buyers were repeat clients, the Brook Family, Goroke. They secured 16 rams - 13 Poll Dorsets and 3 White Suffolks - to $1700, averaging $1587.

Other buyers taking more than 10 rams included the Robinson family, Edenhope, Vic, with 14 Poll Dorset rams to $1700, averaging $1600; and the Jones family, Frances, with 13 rams - three White Suffolks and 10 Poll Dorsets - to $2200, averaging $1885.

Twelve Poll Dorset rams were knocked down to the Donaldson family, who paid to $1800 and averaged $1675, while long-time supporters, the Rich family, Goroke, took home nine Poll Dorsets and two White Suffolks, paying to $1700 and averaging $1582.

"These rams have good composition and body structure and when we sell their progeny, we make a good profit," Stephen Rich said.

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Stud co-principal Grant Hausler was delighted with the sale result and the support the family received in celebrating 40 years of stud breeding at Janmac.

"As one of the larger single vendor ram sales in the region, the average achieved here today would be up there amongst the highest averages in the state," Mr Hausler said. "The industry is in great shape and the sale results are a sign of this."

Landmark auctioneer Richard Miller described the result as "outstanding".

"There was amazing competition all day and I can't recall a sale that went this way for terminal sire breeds for some time," he said.

"Janmac rams are so adaptable with suitability to all markets; and the depth and quality of the rams offered in the sale was shown with the strong competition in bidding for stud rams to repeat buyers.

"Breeders are re-investing, with record pricing for prime lambs, plus a good season lifting their confidence."

Rodwells Edenhope's David Hanel said the sale average and full clearance was a testament to the quality of breeding at Janmac.

Mr Miller shared the auctioneering duties with Rodwells Horsham's Dale Dridan.