SALE SUMMARY
2019 2018
Offered 120 102
Sold 88 79
Top $2600 $2500
Av $1095 $978
THERE was an excellent turnout of bidders at the second annual northern pastoral Australian White sale held at Jamestown on Thursday, with buyers traveling from all regions of SA, as well as interstate.
The sale, a joint initiative of Baringa Sheep Studs, Oberon, NSW, and Seriston Pastoral Company, Avenue Range, offered 100 rams, of which 79 sold to a top of $2600, averaging $1118.
Nine ewes were also sold of 20 offered, topping at $1100 and averaging $900.
While the top price ram last year went to Ronald and Steph Coleman, Cudlee Creek, for $2500, it was Mr Coleman's brother Kerry, of Cole-Bray Property Trust, Butler Tanks, who secured this year's $2600 sale-topper.
The top price ram was achieved by lot 1, an April 2018-drop sire and featured Lambplan figures of 7.7 for weaning weight, 10.6 for post-weaning weight, -0.03 for Pfat and 0.49 for eye muscle depth. It also had indexes including 120.37 for Lamb Eating Quality and 122.75 for Maternal Carcase Plus, with a lean meat yield of 1.81.
Cole-Bray Property Trust's Kerry Coleman said the sale-topper was a "solid" ram, with good size and weight.
He also bought one other ram - lot 3 for $1800, and will put the rams over Dorper ewes.
"We'll use Dorpers as our base of all our flock, but the future outlook is to have all Australian Whites," Mr Coleman said.
"The Australian Whites suit our country. We got our first lot of Australian Whites here last year, and we were that impressed by them that we've come back."
It's a new breed, and there has been tough and dry conditions - when you look at those scenarios, it's a fantastic sale result.
- ANTHONY HURST
In the ewe section, the $1100 top price - lot 102 - was secured by JD Gommers, Brinkley, who also bought another ewe at $1000, and two rams, both at $1400.
Baringa stud principal Brayden Gilmore said the sale exceeded his expectations, and he was pleased to see a good turnout of new buyers as well as some repeat clients from last year's inaugural sale.
"Twelve months ago we stood here and said we hoped for rain, and we hoped rain would create a better sale. But many of our buyers haven't had that rain, yet this year's sale has still been stronger than last year," he said.
Mr Gilmore said it was clear that the buyers were looking at the figures of the sheep on offer.
"We didn't have the ASBVs to the same extent last year, we didn't have the lean meat yield and eating quality figures. Going through the sale catalogue, and looking at what sold well, I've worked out that people have paid a fair bit of attention to it," he said.
Seriston stud principal Anthony Hurst was "extremely pleased" with the sale, and said it was exciting to see interest shown in the relatively new breed, which was launched in 2011.
"SA is learning the breed, it's something different for people to get their head around," he said.
"It's a new breed, and there has been tough and dry conditions - when you look at those scenarios, it's a fantastic sale result."
RELATED READING: Solid bidding on high-indexing Deepwater Borders
Mr Hurst said lamb survivability within the breed was "phenomenal".
"They are a small lamb but they are strong, and up on their feet and going really quickly," he said.
"It's all well and good to have massive carcase and hindquarter muscles, but we have to have lambing ease, and a lot of people are appreciating that we've got thee front end of our sheep very refined, while we've still got carcase on our rams," he said.
Twenty-four of 25 registered buyers made purchases, with the sale's volume buyers including new buyer Nerrin Nerrin Pastoral, Nerrin Nerrin, which 15 rams to $1200, averaging $920, Elders Ceduna, which bought 12 rams, all at $800, and Old Fairview, Lucindale, which bought 10 rams to $1600.
The sale was conducted by Elders' with Tony Wetherall as auctioneer.
Mr Wetherall complimented the evenness of the line-up, and said the Australian Whites were an "up and coming" breed.
- Start the day with all the big news in agriculture. Click here to sign up to receive our daily Stock Journal newsletter.