Dry conditions set prices back at the Eastern Region Dorper sale but quality certainly wasn’t missing with 22 Dorper and White Dorper studs offering a total of 120 sale lots at the Dubbo Showground last Friday.
Overall the sale draft topped at $3800 and averaged $1124 with 19 White Dorper rams sold from 44 offered to top at $3800 and average $1116.
Forty three from 70 Dorper rams sold to a top of $2200 twice and averaged $1188 and all but one ewe sold to average $683.
Twenty-six registered bidders from NSW, Queensland and Victoria filled the stands and AuctionsPlus entertained a further 42 registered bidders online and purchased five lots including the top priced ram, Future 160535.
The 18-month-old White Dorper ram presented by Marietjie and Christo Harmse, Future White Dorpers, Gunnedah, was sired by Castlebar White 150031 from Castlebar White 150014, both the sire and dam lines featured Amarula bloodlines.
The Type 4 ram topped the sale draft at 110 kilograms and scanned an eye muscle area of 45 square centimetres and 9mm for fat score.
Purchased by Gary and Janice Fiegert, Melashdan Dorper and White Dorper stud, Tumby Bay, South Australia, vendor Christo Harmse said Mr Fiegert had spoken to him before the sale and was looking for “length, depth, spring of rib and not to compromise conformation when striving for size”.
Mark Gett, Whynot Dorpers, Narrabri, topped the Dorper draft of the sale twice with two lots selling for $2200 and both selling to Frank Old, Bourke.
The sale toppers, Whynot 160280, a Type 4, 15-month-old White Dorper ram, weighed 98kg and scanned 38 sqcm for eye muscle and 6mm fat score while Whynot 160081, a Type 3 ram, weighed 106kg and scanned 43 sqcm for eye muscle and 5mm fat score.
Mr Old runs 15,000 primarily Dorper ewes with his wife, Robin, and their three children.
“We support Mark at the sale, he supplies us rams throughout the year. They work well in our country and a meatier ram, which means more dollars,” Mr Old said.
“We sell to Coles in the south and also just sent a shipment of ewes across to Russia.
“While the sale was back this year, it’s only a reflection of the season and people are worried about keeping their ewe base, after all that’s where the earning capacity comes from.”
Mr Old was one of the volume buyers on the day purchasing 12 rams.
The Prince family of Cobar also purchased 12 rams from the sale.
The sale was conducted by Landmark Dubbo with John Settree as auctioneer.
