A rising five-year-old ewe which won champion Suffolk ewe at the 2018 Melbourne Royal Show was again thrust in the spotlight at Allendale stud's '90 ewes 90 years' sale last Friday at Bordertown.
Stud principals Alastair and Jayne Day generously donated the proceeds in the lot 51 ewe to the Royal Flying Doctor Service in memory of Megan Murch- the mother of former Allendale employee Keeley Murch.
Bids came thick and fast for Allendale 172020, a daughter of Allendale 141495, which had been scanned in lamb with a single.
It was Total Workz, Healesville, Vic, through AuctionsPlus who put in the winning bid of $5000.
Keeley, who showed the ewe back in 2018, said it was a "nice surprise" to find out that the Days wanted to support the charity that her mother - who passed away recently - had held so dear.
At lot 70, Total Workz again outlaid $5000 for lot an impressive AI bred daughter of Karinya 199028.
This is believed to be a national record for a Suffolk ewe lamb.
The July 2021 drop, born as a twin, had easily the highest ranking figures among the ewe lambs offered with a Terminal Carcase Production index of 140.01 and a post weaning weight of 16.98.
In the past Allendale- the the nation's oldest Suffolk stud- has rarely offered ewes for sale- so it was no surprise the sale to celebrate 90 years of Suffolk breeding attracted buyers from SA, Vic, WA and Tas.
In the very successful result, 55 of 60 mixed age mated ewes averaged $1498, while 31 of 33 (June-July 2021 drop) ewe lambs.averaged $1245.
Total Workz was also the sale's volume buyer with their 14 ewes and ewe lambs averaging $1714.
Among those looking to expand their stud flocks with top genetics was Andrew Lakin, Allanwood Suffolks, Lancefield, Vic, bought six ewes and ewe lambs to $2200, averaging $1150.
Caralma Blacks, Macclesfield, bought eight ewes , as well as another three in partnership with Taylor Made stud and Alan Lintern, Seymour Vale, Tungkillo, also bought five ewes for a $1320 average.
This included the first ewe lamb offered for $2200.
Mr Day was humbled by the strong support from across Australia, including a couple of schools who had Suffolk studs.
He said the sale averages and high prices easily exceeded his expectations.
"I was hoping the Flying Doctor ewe would make a couple of thousand (dollars), I thought that would be a good donation but $5000 is amazing," he said.
He said the three generations of the Day family since the stud's founder Allen E Day- had focussed on breeding Suffolks with good structure, meat and "Suffolk type" which had stood them in good stead.
He said they were fully committed to the breed.
"There is no good being the oldest stud if you are no good, we want to be the oldest and one of the best studs," he said.
"Obviously the ewes we sold were good enough to make what they made and we have a lot of their sisters still roaming the paddocks so we are in a good position to keep on going."
Spence Dix & Co director and auctioneer Jono Spence said it was an "extremely strong" sale.
"We didn't really know what to expect, we knew that some people would take advantage and that there would be a volume buyer somewhere and we found them on AuctionsPlus," he said.
"A number of other people are people that have bought ewes in the past and they have done well for them.
Mr Spence said it was a tremendous opportunity for buyers to secure ewes backed by many years of proven breeding and ensure the bright future of their own stud flocks.
"I heard a number of experienced people say you wouldn't see anywhere in Australia a line-up as even and that number in this breed, so that is pretty exceptional," he said.
Spence Dix & Co, Nutrien and Elders were joint selling agents.
Start the day with all the big news in agriculture. Sign up here to receive our daily Stock Journal newsletter.