THE red hot run of Border Leicester sales this season continued at Deepwater's 28th annual ram sale at Binnum on Wednesday last week.
In a total clearance, SuperBorder members, the Dowdy family sold all 170 rams for a $1998 average - up nearly $200 on last year.
Another 12 private selection Border Leicester rams were snapped up straight after the auction.
There was also a new stud high of $5200 which came well into the sale at lot 78.
Todd Lamont, T&T Lamont Pastoral Co, Woorndoo, Vic, was the successful buyer, bidding through AuctionsPlus.
"I thought I would go to $5000 but the ram was too good to go past so I had another bid, I was pretty keen to grab him," he said.
"It was a stand out for data and also type, we look for high fat and high muscle traits and moderate growth rather than long, lean types.
The July 2020 drop, which was born a twin, was sired by Deepwater 170515.
Its figures easily ranked in the top 10pc for maternals, including a Pemd of 2.3, Pfat of 1.4 and a Border Leicester Cross index of 139.9.
The sale topper was one of five top end rams the Lamonts bought which will put over their Trigger Vale blood Merinos to breed first cross ewes.
Underpinning the sale's success was Wando Estate, Casterton, Vic, who put together 41 rams between $1400 and $2000.
Wando Estate sell first cross ewes on AuctionsPlus each year and have about 1500 1.5 year olds due to be offered in December.
There were also several other big orders, including H Parry who bid through Nutrien Naracoorte branch manager Richard Jennings to buy 14 rams.
The majority of the rams sold to repeat South East and western Vic commercial buyers but a couple of lots also sold to Gleneith stud, Ganmain, NSW.
The stud who recently set a new Australian Border Leicester of $32,500 were securing high-indexing sons of a couple of rams they sold to Deepwater in 2019.
Nutrien stud stock auctioneer Richard Miller said the Casterton order forced the regulars to increase their budgets by $200-$300.
He said the sheep were very consistent in their data, many among the leading Border Leicester numbers in the country and the rams were "very even in type".
"A lot of sheep are on the finer end of microns and people were chasing those 34-36 microns, some of the Borders we see regularly get up well over 40 microns."
Southern Australian Livestock auctioneer Mat MacDonald said it was as "good a sale as he had seen at Deepwater".
"People were happy to chase those high figured rams up with a $1000-$1500 premium on them," he said.
Deepwater stud's Judy Dowdy was pleased with the result but believed the sale still represented good value to their clients in a year which has seen some studs average far more.
Sixteen rams made $1500 or less.
"It is great to see such strong demand for Border Leicesters and see that first cross ewes are still recognised as being the best prime lamb mothers despite the competition from other maternal breeds," she said.
"Farming is very rewarding to be in at the moment because across the board livestock is selling well."
Mrs Dowdy said being located just a couple of kilometres from the SA-Vic border the ongoing border restrictions again had an impact on the sale with some of their clients located outside the border bubble in Vic unable to attend.
It was was pleasing to see more bidding on AuctionsPlus though than 2020 when they first used the online platform. In total nearly 20 Borders were knocked down online.
The Jay-Dee maternal composites offering followed the Border Leicesters but bidders were far thinner on the ground.
A big volume order ensured 20 more rams - which were an infusion of Border Leicester, East Friesian, Finn, Texel, Cashmore composite, Coopworth, Poll Dorset and White Suffolk which have been developed over nearly 30 years- were sold than 2020.
Overall 54 of 99 rams sold for a $1096 average.
Long-time buyer, Newlyn Pastoral, Hamilton, Vic, dominated the bidding taking home 33 rams for a $1055 average, paying up to $1400.
The $1600 top price maternal composite was lot 14 which had a MCP+ index of 148.
It was bought by another repeat buyer, GC&NN Rowe, Horsham, Vic.
Jay Dee stud's Josh Dowdy said the composites had a strong place for those wanting to breed their own replacements and also maintain high biosecurity in their flocks.
Mr Macdonald encouraged sheep breeders running composites to attend next year's Jay-Dee sale.
"They are a fair bit cheaper than what some of other composite sales were and they are using many of the same genetics so I think people should be coming here for a look," he said.
Mr Miller agreed the sale was "great value for money".
"The stud should be very pleased with the quality they turned out but we just lacked a few buyers," he said.
Nutrien Ag Solutions and SAL conducted the sale.
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