A two-day sale event offering 136 Dorper and White Dorper rams and 82 ewes culminated in a full clearance and a new Australian record for the Dell African Dumisa Dorper stud, Moama.
During the ram sale, 133 of 136 lots were sold under the hammer, with the remaining three sold immediately after resulting in an overall average of $4441 and top price of $20,000.
In the breakdown 101 Dorper rams reached the $20,000 sale high and averaged $4405, while 35 White Dorper rams peaked at $10,000 and averaged $4542.
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Return clients Matt and Zaya Wood of Culgoa UltraWhite and Dorper studs, Goodooga, purchased the $20,000 sale-topping ram, Dell 190588.
An ET single-born lamb sired by Dumisa Legend 140472 and out of Dell 170670 which goes back to Dell Machine 130197, he was an August 2019-drop ram which weighed 114 kilograms.
Andrea Vagg of Dell said he was one of the Dell stud's top sires. "That bloodline has bred very well for us for correctness - he is a very neat correct ram with a lot of meat and a slick shedding coat," she said.
"His bloodline goes back to 'Dell Baby Doll 3' which is one of our foundation ewes and the first ewe to win a national title in 2012."
The Dell stud has about 60-70 lambs on the ground sired by him, and they are averaging around the 33kg weaned weight with the highest being around 44kg.
"We have retained semen for export and our own stud use," Ms Vagg said.
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The $18,000 second-top ram, Dell 190746, was sold to South Australian-based Brad, Tanya and Pat Edson of Red Rock stud, Keith, who have supported the sale in the past purchasing three sires in five years.
"One of their (previous) sires in particular is a relation to this ram, and he has done well for them," Ms Vagg said
"They needed an outcross, and someone asked whether the top or second-top ram was better and there is no better ram - just depends on what you are looking for, they both complement each other well."
Twin-born August 2019-drop Dorper ram weighed 114.5kg and was sired by Dell Rhino 160839 and out of Dell 160309, a Dell Boss 140424 daughter, who is a top breeder that the Dell stud has sold embryos from to the USA and EU.
"He is a real good walking ram, real long-bodied, with excellent bone and good hindquarter with a strong masculine head," Ms Vagg said. "You can't go wrong with a ram like that - he will probably walk all day really mobile ram."
The $10,000 top-priced White Dorper ram, Dumisa 200203, sold to Top Waterloo Pastoral Co from Walcha, return clients that bought Dell's top-priced White Dorper ram at the 2020 national sale for $12,000.
Sired by African 180557 and out of W Dumisa 180512 by WD179 111129, the April drop-2020 ram weighed 81.5kg and was a twin-born.
Clients that have had an impact on the Dell stud sales over the past 10 years include the Olds family from Bourke, the Crozier family from Ivanhoe and the Douglas family from Bunnaloo.
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Ms Vagg said the Old family have not missed a sale and also purchase a high number of paddock rams.
"This year Dustin Lincoln Old came for 10 rams and went home with 17 to average $4647, showing they are happy with our rams," she said. "They recently sold 750 ewe lambs on AuctionsPlus, which were sired by our rams, to average $337 a head."
The Crozier family bought four White Dorper rams to average $5250, and return purchaser Thomas Unit Trust, Ivanhoe, purchased 27 rams to average $2685.
Buying from Dell since 2016, Alison and Nico Courtney purchased four rams to average $4375. They also purchased the Dell stud's 2021 top national sale ram, Dell 200239, at $12,000.
DORPER EWE SETS AUSTRALIAN RECORD
A new Australian record top price for a Dorper ewe was set when the purchasers of the top-ram, Matt and Zaya Wood of Culgoa stud, outlaid $6200 for their pick of the female offering.
Dell 200734 was the record-breaking ewe found among the draft of 82 ewes which were all sold to average $1746.
An August 2020-drop Dell Juggernaut 170743 daughter, she was scanned-in-lamb with twins to Dell 190473.
The Woods were volume buyers taking home 27 ewes.
The $5800 second-top ewe was Dell 190280 purchased by return clients Simone and Bob Burrows from Dromedary Dorpers, Tas, who bought three ewes in total.
New buyer Towyn Jones from Yass purchased six ewes to average $2367, and two rams to average $6500.
In the White Dorper ewes David Mack bought six ewes including the top-priced white ewe at $2500 to average $1300.
The sale was conducted by Nutrien Echuca with auctioneer John Settree, Dubbo.
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