She Oak Lodge lifts av, full clearance on Suffolk, White Suffolk offering

The full offering of 70 Suffolk rams sold to $2600, averaging $1240, while all 70 White Suffolks sold to $2500 and an average of $1573.

The top price Suffolk ram was bought by Jandemar Ag's Mark Mahoney, through EP Livestock's Richard Hill, who sought well-balanced rams with excellent structure, length and depth.

The late July-drop ram weighed 118 kilograms with measurements of 50.2 millimetre eye muscle depth, post-weaning weight of 11.2kg and a fat depth figure of -0.8.

Mr Mahoney, who bought three of the top-price rams, has supported the stud since its inception, seeking rams with high growth rates and high eye muscle depth to put across Merino ewes on his mixed-farming enterprise near Mount Hope.

"The Millard family have great genetics, and we just couldn't fault this ram," Mr Hill said.

Return buyers Brendan and Marcia Letton bought the top price White Suffolk ram, along with a number of other rams.

Weighing in at 125kg, the ram had measurements of 50.3EMD and post-weaning fat depth of -1.1.

Son Leonard Letton said the family was impressed by the ram's overall correctness, body type and excellent growth rates.

"We will put them over Merino ewes because they continue to perform well in any seasonal conditions," he said.

"We've been impressed by their high lambing results, and because we know they grow so well, we keep coming back."

She-Oak stud principal Tom Millard was pleased with this year's line-up, particularly the White Suffolks.

"Our White Suffolks have been a stand out this season, and we are very happy with their growth rate and the interest they have generated," he said.

"Thirty-one of the 70 on offer had eye muscle depth of 48mm or above, and that's a credit to their Allendale and Illoura parent stock genetics."

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Mr Millard said the black-faced sheep continued to perform well.

"We are looking for long sheep with a well-muscled back end and a narrow front end for ease of lambing," he said.

"Our focus has always been to produce a ram who has excellent size and length with great growth rates."

Bidding was supported by repeat and new buyers from Yorke Peninsula, the Mid North, Kangaroo Island and across EP.

The sale was conducted by EP Livestock, with Platinum Livestock's Ben Dohnt assisting guest auctioneer Wilbur Williams, who said the strong line-up of rams on offer were well-supported by excellent Terminal Carcase Production figures.

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