BUNDARA Downs' fourth summer ram lamb sale last Friday was a great success with the Western Flat based stud selling nearly double the numbers it did in 2020.
Across the three breeds, Steve, Ros, Greg and Selena Funke sold 165 of 220 White Suffolk, Poll Dorset and Suffolks for a credible $1062 average.
The Poll Dorsets were the stand out performers with a total clearance of 62 ram lambs for a $1160 average, topping at $1500 multiple times, while 92 of 138 White Suffolks topped at $2000 and averaged $1017.
In the first offering of Suffolk ram lambs, 11 of 20 sold to $1100 twice and averaged $891.
The majority of buyers were looking for low birthweight sires to join with their ewe lambs now, although a few jumped at the chance to secure the April/May 2020 drops at cheaper rates than they are likely to pay in spring.
Nearly all of the 21 registered bidders in the stands from the South East and western Vic bought but as with many sales in the past year it was a flurry of online bidding that cemented the sale's success.
Forty one lots were knocked down to buyers from as far afield as Wagga Wagga, NSW, from 197 online bids.
Leon and Tim Schwarz, Muston Pastoral Co, Caramut, Vic, were easily the biggest volume buyers at the sale securing 13 White Suffolks to $1600, averaging $1085, as well as 15 Poll Dorsets averaging $1280.
The Schwarzs have been clients of Bundara Downs for more than a decade putting the rams over their Border Leicester-Merino ewes, but it was their second summer sale.
"The (Bundara Downs) progeny have growth for age and plenty of muscle, we sell 95 per cent of our lambs as suckers (about 24-26kg carcaseweight at 5 months old)," Leon said.
Ashmore Station, Kingston SE, was another volume Poll Dorset buyer with 15 to $1300, averaging $1080, while Graetz Family Trust, Mundulla, bought 15 White Suffolks for a $873 average.
The sale high of $2000 came at lot 33 in the White Suffolk offering.
The April 2020 drop sired by Woolumbool 173980 had one of the highest Terminal Carcase Production indexes in the catalogue at 159.11 and was in the top 1pc of all terminal sires on Sheep Genetics database.
The sale topper was bought by AJ&PK Schubert, Hynam, who also bought the $2800 top price White Suffolk in Bundara Downs' spring 2020 sale.
Greg Funke was "rapt" with the result.
"Every year we are doubling what we clear the previous year, it keeps growing and growing. The rams are doing the job and people are starting to realise they can access their rams this time of the year," he said.
There are lot more people that are mating ewe lambs so it is nice to accommodate their needs.
- GREG FUNKE
Bundara Downs' main sale is held each September with 400 rams on offer but Greg said the January sale was about giving their clients another opportunity to buy their genetics.
"Traditionally we have always sold rams privately this time of the year but with more and more support we decided to have a sale," he said.
"There are lot more people that are mating ewe lambs so it is nice to accommodate their needs."
Elders south east livestock manager Laryn Gogel - who shared the auctioneering duties with Tony Wetherall - said the line-up of ram lambs displayed outstanding weight for age, averaging 82kg with the top weights close to 100kg.
He said selling ram lambs was a "niche market" with limited demand especially in the local area but said AuctionsPlus opening up a much wider area.
"We were nervous about how many people might operate, you just don't know, it has been an interesting day and it has been pleasing in the fact that we have cleared more rams than last year," he said.
Elders Bordertown conducted the sale.
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