The Cliffs Shedding Sheep stud, Molong, drew a good crowd at its first on-property ram sale, with rams selling to three states as buyers chased hybrid vigour and new bloodlines.
The stud sold 44 of 50 rams under the hammer to a $4200 top and $1630 average. Another ram was sold immediately post sale.
In the breakdown, 25 of 26 Cliffmaster Composites (SheepMasters/Australian White) sold to a $3300 top to average $1869, while 19 of 24 Australian Whites averaged $1279.
The top-priced ram, Baringa 21A148, sold to online bidder Mordalup Pastoral Company, Mordalup, Western Australia.
By Baringa 18A488, the 117-kilogram ram was an April-2021 drop The Cliffs had purchased from the Baringa/Seriston ram sale in 2022 for $26,000.
The ram had been used in the stud and had a fat score of 8 and an eye muscle depth of 47 millimetres.
Buyer Rhys Muir said the ram would be used to introduce new bloodlines to the operation's commercial flock.
Mordalup had switched from Merinos to Australian Whites about three years ago, he said, due to the shearer shortage and because the operation also involved a large contracting business and was trying to simplify the sheep side.
It currently ran about 3000 ewes on 1011 hectares.
Mr Muir also bought a second ram, this time a Cliffs Composite, for $2200.
By Garnett Apollo 20P073, the May-2022 drop, 124kg, had a fat score of 7.5 and 45mm EMD.
A Cliffs Composite, tagged Cliffs 22499, was the second top-priced ram of the sale, selling for $3300 to Geoff Burbidge, Binda.
By CliffMaster 22101, the December-2022 single, 109kg, had a fat score of 8 and EMD of 45mm.
Mr Burbidge favoured the ram's long frame and said he had been prepared to pay more for him.
"We were just looking for something with a bit more hybrid vigour in it to put over our Aussie Whites," he said.
"We've recently gone across to the Aussie Whites - we were running a first-cross ewe/Dorset lamb but we had trouble getting shearers.
"We were impressed with the Aussie Whites but they just seemed to lack that little bit of extra vigour that the Dorsets had."
Mr Burbidge's son Michael also purchased a ram by the same sire, this time for $2700.
The April-2023 twin was 94kg with a fat score of 7 and 39mm EMD.
Blackwood SheepMaster stud, Boyup Brook, WA, bought the third top-priced ram, again by CliffMaster 22101, for $3200.
The December-2022 single, 91kg, had a fat score of 8 and 41mm EMD.
The same buyers also took home Cliffs 23830 for $2400.
Online buyer TDC Livestock and Property Pty Ltd, Penola, SA, secured four Australian Whites on behalf of clients to a $1200 top to average $1000.
Don and Julia Constable, Galong, purchased two Cliffs Composites and two Australian Whites to an overall top of $1800 to average $1400.
Sarawal, Orange, bought a Cliffs Composite and two Australian Whites to an equal top of $1900 to average $1533.
Murrabee Partnership, Nyngan, secured three Australian Whites to a $1600 top and $1067 average.
Tony Smith, Warren, bought three SheepMasters to a $1900 top and $1567 average.
The Cliffs stud principals Phil and Judi Thompson agreed it was an "awesome" result.
Mr Thompson said the operation began as an Australian White stud before it began an artificial insemination program in 2021 by putting SheepMaster sires over Australian White stud ewes.
The progeny had hybrid vigour, good muscle depth and shedding ability, and improved frames, he said.
Buyers were chasing something different and their Cliffs Composites were a way to improve shedding breeds, he said.
"And then they can put an Aussie White back into the progeny of that and still keep it at that 75 per cent," he said.
"The traditional SheepMaster has eight breeds in it, so basically we've put the ninth in - or if you like, we've put the fifth breed in the Australian Whites."
Mrs Thompson said they had been selling privately for several years and had built up very good relationships with their clients.
"This has been hard in a way to go on AuctionsPlus where we didn't know the people, but we needed to get the SheepMasters out," she said.
Nutrien Milling Thomas and Nutrien stud stock conducted the sale with Peter Thomas and Matt Campion as the auctioneers.
AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.
Rebecca Nadge
Bec is livestock editor for The Land. She has previously worked for Stock & Land in Victoria, the ABC in Kununurra, and newspapers in Kalgoorlie and New Zealand. Contact her at bec.nadge@theland.com.au
Bec is livestock editor for The Land. She has previously worked for Stock & Land in Victoria, the ABC in Kununurra, and newspapers in Kalgoorlie and New Zealand. Contact her at bec.nadge@theland.com.au
