WEST Wimmera Dohne stud Koonik recorded a solid performance, with a mix of repeat and new clients competing for a well-turned out line of rams, with prices rising to $4250 on two occasions.
Stud principal Fiona Cameron said she was pleased with the result, which saw 64 of 80 Dohne rams sold, averaging $1909, put under the hammer by Andrew Sloan, Landmark and Nick Gray, Elders.
The smaller Mitre Rock Poll Merino sale saw 10 of 12 rams sell, with a top of $1500, averaging $850 at last Friday’s on-farm sale at Goroke, west of Horsham.
Combined across the two breeds, the sale saw 74 of 92 rams sell, averaging $1765.
Overall values were virtually identical to last year, with the Dohnes averaging slightly higher and the Merinos slightly lower.
There were 29 buyers, spread mainly across western Victoria and eastern South Australia.
Mrs Cameron said of these clients, 18 were repeat buyers while 11 were first-timers.
There were two rams which made the equal top price of $4250.
One, lot 7, which had a whopping Dohne Index value 176.7, was purchased by the Hobbs family, Sunnyside Partnership, Clear Lake in the southern Wimmera.
The other top price ram, lot 33, with a Dohne Index of 173.4, was purchased by the Eagle family’s Glenora Pastoral, Bungalally, south of Horsham.
In the Merino component, Brad Blackwood, Nhill, bought the top ram at $1500.
Volume buyers across the entire sale included repeat clients Geelong Lime, with the Inverleigh based business snapping up seven rams to $3000, with an average of $1914.
Sovereign Hill Museum Association, Elaine, near Ballarat, bought five rams, averaging $3100, while Sunnyside Partnership also bought five, averaging $2490.
Other consignments of rams went to Elmhurst in the Pyrenees, Callawadda in the eastern Wimmera, Kerang and across the border to Naracoorte and Bordertown, SA.
Mrs Cameron said a notable sale was lot 5, which was purchased to be used as a stud ram by the Staude family, KD Dohnes, at Bordertown.
She said she was pleased with the sale.
“It was a good result, it was especially pleasing to see the young rams, the spring drop rams from last year, sell so well.”
Mrs Cameron paid special tribute to visiting Uruguayan couple Lucia Pérez and Manuel Verrastro, agronomists in their home country who worked at Koonik as part of a working holiday, specialising in agricultural work, around Australia.
“They had the rams in great condition leading up to the sale,” she said.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
