Buyers who were keen to produce consistent lines of lambs that could be offloaded early as suckers, with adequate muscling, dominated the bidding at Friday's Springwaters Poll Dorsets 19th Annual Ram Sale.
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Held on-property at Corcorans Plains, Boorowa, all 16 stud rams offered were sold, including the top of $17,000, to average $7563, and 199 of the 201 flock rams sold at auction to a top of $5000, three times, to average $3279, the sale overall averaging $3598.
The top-priced ram, Springwaters 748/21, had generated plenty of interest in the lead up to sale day.
Having won supreme Poll Dorset at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Bendigo, Vic, in July, the Springwaters Guinness 22/18 son from a Springwaters Pocock 66/16 daughter, was just the tonic eventual buyer, Richard Maas, Gilmour Station Poll Dorsets, Lake Bathurst, was after.
Mr Maas, a repeat buyer, joins about 200 Poll Dorset ewes to breed rams for his own flock and for ram clients and he selected 748/21 for its frame size and muscling. He uses his Poll Dorsets on about 5000 first-cross ewes to produce sucker lambs.
The August 2021-drop Springwaters 748 was described as having a huge amount of meat and power, including "a fantastic muscle pattern in the rump" and had the largest Stockscan index the stud has achieved, of 2072.
It was also in the top 10 per cent of the breed for weaning weight, and top 5pc for post weaning weight. These figures included 0.80 post weaning eye muscle depth, 11.62 WWT, 18.22 PWWT, and Stockscan scans of 9 millimetres fat depth and 47.40 square centimetre eye muscle area.
His sire, Guiness, a 2018-drop ram, scanned the largest eye muscle area the stud had recorded and also produced last year's $21,000 sale topper.
Springwaters retained a semen share in 748/21 for in-flock use.
Second top was $12,000 to an undisclosed online bidder for the May 2021-drop Springwaters 534, a heavy-boned Dorset type by Springwaters 105/19.
Two lots made $10,000, both August 2021-drop rams, including Springwaters 642 and 746.
The first of them, also the sale's opening lot, was another Guiness son, and sold to Maryvale Pastoral via Elders Wagga Wagga.
This ram, a twin, had Stockscan measurements of 8mm fat depth and 40.43sq cm EMA.
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The second $10,000 ram, by Springwaters 105-19, sold to Avondale Poll Dorsets, Gilgandra, and scanned 7mm fat depth and a 39.62sq cm EMA.
Springwaters retained a semen share and has kept a younger brother for stud use, which was why 746 was offered for sale, also being described by the Rowleys as "a true example of the type we aim to breed".
Geoff and Heather Bush, Cootamundra, also bought Springwaters 703 for $9000. This was a son of Springwaters 75/18, one of the Rowley's leading Pocock sons used in the stud.
Ths Bush's purchase, an August 2021-drop ram, had ASBV figures 0.95 PEMD, 8.85 WWT and 13.41 PWWT.
The support for flock rams was solid, with a number of volume buyers putting together sizeable lines.
Among those was Marty Corcoran, Boorowa, who bought six rams to a top of $4500 to average $3667.
Mr Corcoran, a repeat buyer, was among those targeting the sucker type rams.
He joins his rams to first-cross ewes and most of his lambs are sold through the Wagga Wagga saleyards.
The lambs out of these rams always look the part.
- Marty Corcoran, Boorowa.
His production aim is to put together lines of lambs with enough growth to meet sale weight as suckers and the extra thickness "to fill the frame of a second-cross lamb".
He also is a repeat buyer and said the Springwaters' rams provide the growth and maturity pattern to do all this before the lambs reach first shearing.
"The lambs out of these rams always look the part," he said.
A volume and first-time buyer, Evan Dunn, Wendouree Grazing, Walcha, bought eight rams to a top of $5000 and average of $4375. He has a flock of about 1400 ewes.
He was in the process of shifting his target market from an export type to a sucker type, partly due to the shorter turn around.
"I will be targeting the sucker market, but have been doing export, which takes a little longer, so I decided to go back to Dorsets and I'll see how it goes," he said.
The other two $5000 flock rams sold to AAC Co Pty Ltd, Noonameena, Galong.
Mr Rowley, Springwaters, said he and his family and team were happy with how the offering presented, given it hadn't been an easy season through which to prepare the rams, but it had been "a great result on our end".
The two passed-in rams were sold privately post auction.
The sale, which was interfaced online via AuctionsPlus, was settled by Delta Livestock and Property, and Aaron Seamen, Elders Young, was auctioneer.
