THERE were long periods without the gavel falling at Bundara Downs' seventh summer ram lamb sale on Monday at Western Flat with only 15 per cent of the large offering selling.
The nine registered bidders and 22 online users were able to be selective with their choices in the four breed offering but in a disappointing clearance Steve, Ros, Greg and Selena Funke only sold 35 ram lambs from 241 offered for a $1151 average.
This was no reflection on the quality of the seven to nine month olds which had impressive weights for age off lucerne after about eight inches of rain since November.
The White Suffolk lambs averaged nearly 84kg, the UltraWhites averaged 81kg and the Poll Dorsets nearly 80kg. The younger (June-July drop) Suffolks averaged 68kg.
The sale's $3000 top price was one of the Poll Dorsets with Alastair Day and son Angus, Bordertown, buying the lot 137 as an outcross for their Allendale stud.
The April 2023 drop was sired by Bundara Downs 5582 and had a good data set including a post weaning weight of 16.7 and Terminal Carcase Production index of 154.4.
"We were down here on a water run and were looking at Suffolks rams but when we walked past this one stood out for his length, front end and heap of meat in him," Alastair said.
"I also liked that his half brothers by the same sire were all good rams."
The most demand came for the White Suffolks with 27 of 118 selling to $1200 and averaging $1007.
J Graetz Rural Trust, Keith, was the sale's volume buyer with 12 White Suffolk rams at $1000 each.
Bundara Downs' newest breed, Utrawhites were a first time inclusion in the sale and with the stud's huge investment in genetics the upset price of the 59 head rose to $1500.
Six of these sold online to Vic Mallee buyer, Hesse Ag, Quambatook, Vic to a $1600 high for lot 189- an April drop which was ET bred.
Greg Funke acknowledged it was a tough sale but said they would continue to give their clients the opportunity to buy ram lambs again next year.
" We used to sell between 150 to 200 rams at this time of year privately so we decided to go to a sale seven years ago because we gained more and more interest," he said.
"This is very much industry reflective and season driven- the least we have sold in the past is 140."
A portion of the unsold rams will be re-offered at the stud's main September ram sale
Elders Bordertown conducted the sale with Laryn Gogel and Ronnie Dix sharing the auctioneering duties.
Mr Gogel praised the line-up and said they could rival the ram lambs offered at any stud across Australia.
"The genetic power is there and the data on the page is up there as well, it is probably a bit of a sign of the times with less ewe lambs being joined this year than previously and plenty of rams overflowing from the spring selling campaign," he said.
