RAMSAY Park White Suffolks and Suffolks principal Peter Button was left speechless after the stud's "biggest crowd ever" flocked to their penultimate ram sale at Minlaton on Friday last week.
This year's averages, for the White Suffolks, Suffolk and Black Composites, were all up on 2019 with the clearance rate also taking a sharp upwards turn.
All 77 White Suffolk rams sold to a $5000 top and $1525 average, with 18 of 23 Suffolks selling to $2500 and a $1261 average, while 11 of 12 Black Composites averaged $1536 and reached a peak of $2300 twice.
"I'm blown away," Mr Button said.
"This was the biggest registration and crowd we've ever had.
"We had a lot more demand this year and a lot more phone calls in the week leading up to the sale and most of them were new clients.
"Adding them to were our existing client base who are here year in, year out, we thought we'd put some extra numbers in and the new buyers all turned up and bought."
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There was plenty of stud interest on the top end of the White Suffolks, with Brendan Ebsary of Balmar White Suffolks, Barunga Gap, taking lot 11 for the sale's top price of $5000.
After achieving a full clearance at his own sale, Mr Ebsary was confident to go after a stud purchase.
"What caught my eye about the ram were its figures and appearance matched up," he said.
"It's in the top one and ten per cent for a lot of its growth. Its muscle and TCP are huge and he's going to add a lot to our stud.
"He's going to complement all the muscle we've got through our stud at the moment."
The ram had a huge terminal carcase production index of 157.9, an 11.7 weaning weight, 18.2 post weaning weight, -0.4 fat and 3.2 eye muscle depth.
There was strong competition on the rest of the consistent lineup, with Sarah Simpson, on behalf of Piya, Elders, buying 12 rams to $1400, averaging $1083, to be the volume buyer.
The list included the lot 30 ram for $1400, whose proceeds were donated to the Heart Kids Foundation.
Other White Suffolk volume buyers included Kreig Farming, Minlaton, which secured five rams to $1400 three times, averaging $1340, while EL&LA Short, Curramulka, bought five to $1300 twice, averaging $1200, as well as one Suffolk for $800.
Leading the way on the Suffolks was Woodleigh Hills, Washpool, which bought four to $1000, averaging $850, while Wheare Holdings, Lock, were the volume buyer on the Black Composites with four to $2300 twice, averaging $2250.
Elders and Nutrien conducted the sale, with Tom Penna and Gordon Wood the auctioneers.
Mr Penna said he had seen Ramsay Park elevate their industry status, especially in the White Suffolk breed, in recent years.
"This is their 26th and penultimate sale and they're bringing it to a crescendo," he said.
"Talking to buyers before the sale, they were really rapt with the quality. The rams are very strong in the numbers, but the clients are also very happy with thow the sheep present visually and physically."
Mr Wood noted the meat and muscle on the sale lineup, saying they were industry-relevant White Suffolks and Composites.
Ramsay Park will hold its final 'full' on-property ram sale next year and will hold the first stage of its ewe dispersal on November 6.
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