WITH rain on the cards buyers were not holding back during the Burrawang Dorper and White Dorper studs’ 12th on-farm sale at Burrawang West Station, Ootha, on Monday.
Knowing the consistency, reliability and performance of the Burrawang bred rams, buyers ensured their secured their picks, driving the average up to a strong $2327 and clearance to 100 per cent.
All 102 rams offered were sold with a large number going to numerous repeat clients that keep coming back due to the quality on offer.
The sale kicked off with a bang when repeat buyer Robin Sanderson from Tullinga White Dorpers, Condobolin, secured the first ram in the draft for the sale top price of $5000.
Classified as a stud type 5 White Dorper ram, Burraway WD151288 “Jug” was by Burrawang 140373 “Barrel” from Burrawang 130070. It weighed in at 109 kilograms as a three-year-old with a fat depth of seven millimetres and an eye muscle depth (EMD) of 43mm.
The twin-born, embryo transfer ram had been used extensively within the Burrawang breeding program, siring some of the rams within the sale. Semen was retained in the sire.
Breeding White Dorpers since 2005 and a repeat buyer at Burrawang for close to five years, Mr Sanderson said the top-priced ram had a brilliant body and offered an opportunity hard to find.
“He is an ex-sire from this stud, and he has done a good job for them. To get into genetics that have been breeding animals like this is not always possible,” he said.
“The Burrawang stud is breeding good sheep and coming from the local district they are acclimatised. They have put a lot of work into it and its paying off.
“This area is a good meat growing country and the Dorpers are really good performers in both tough and good seasons, they do well here. Their fertility and lamb marking percentages are all good.”
Burrawang D171116 hit the second top price of $3600 and was snapped up by Ramps Ridge Rural, Hay.
The 12- to 13-month-old single-born Dorper ram weighed 92 kilograms as was sired by the Kaya 130403 “Getafix” ram from Burrawang 153261. It measured 35mm in the EMD and 5.5mm in the fat scan.
In the breakdown 54 Dorper rams were sold to a $3600 top, to average $2387, while 48 White Dorper rams sold to $5000 and averaged $2263.
Large volume buyers were Burta Station, Broken Hill, who put together a line of 11 rams for an average of $2245.
Other major buyers included Polia Pastoral, Wentworth, who bought nine rams to average $2322, and Ramps Ridge Rural, Hay, who also secured nine rams and paid an average of $2845.
BR & C Agents, Swan Hill conducted the sale with Joe O’Reilly as the auctioneer.
