A genuine group of repeat clients helped boost the average at the Ultimate Dohne Ram sale held at the Mount Pleasant Showgrounds on Thursday.
The line-up consisted of sires from Koonik, Nurcoung, Vic - which also offered a specified selection of rams with Hamilton Run genetics - and JAG, Hahndorf, with 43 of 60 sold, reaching a top price of $2700 and averaging $1488. The average was a $136 lift on last year's average price.
Of 45 sires offered by Koonik, 32 sold to $2700, averaging $1575, while 11 of 16 JAG rams averaged $1236 and topped at $1600.
Demonstrating a good evenness in the catalogue, the sale's top price was made by lot 57, knocked down to Narlo Enterprises, Mount Hope, with bidding carried out by wool classer Ian Bradtke, Yongala.
A July 2020-drop Koonik sire with Hamilton run genetics, the sale-topper was sired by HR160121 and had Australian Sheep Breeding Values of 6.6 for yearling weight, 4.8 for weaning weight, 4.7 for post-weaning weight, -0.2 for fat depth and 0.2 for eye muscle depth, and a Dohne Index of 169.6.
Mr Bradkte said the ram was a good dual-purpose sire.
"It had perfect structure, with good muscling and a bit of extra staple length," he said.
Narlo Enterprises, who have bought Hamilton Run genetics in the past, secured one other ram, lot 1, a January 2020-drop Koonik twin which made $1500.
Koonik stud principal Fiona Cameron was pleased with the interest in the line-up, particularly considering the conditions the rams have been in for the past few months.
"The rams have been in wet conditions for a lot of this year, but give them another few months to grow out and they will do really well," she said.
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JAG stud principal Greg Peterson is in his last year as a stud breeder, and while plans for the future of the stud are yet to be finalised, he has enjoyed breeding Dohnes for the past ten years, following a significant period as an Angora goat breeder.
"I've been um-ing and ah-ing for quite some time (about retiring), we want to do something else in our life, but we have loved it, the people we have met overtime have been wonderful," he said.
Mr Peterson was pleased with the clearance rate at the sale.
"There might have been more people here last year, but for the number of people we had here (this year), I think it was a good result," he said.
Volume buyers included Newenham, Normanville, taking home three JAG rams and three Koonik rams to $2400, averaging $1533, while Rodwell's livestock agent Tim Jones, Edenhope, Vic, secured five Koonik rams on AuctionsPlus to $1800, averaging $1620.
KN&LG Krause, Spence Dix and Co Keith, bought four Koonik rams to $2300, averaging $1900, while four were knocked down to Roseville Farming, Carrumulka, to a top price of $1300 and averaging $1075.
The sale was jointly conducted by Elders and Nutrien, with Elders' Laryn Gogel handling the auctioneering duties.
Five rams sold privately shortly after the conclusion of the auction, all at $1000.
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