Detpa Grove continued to cement itself as a leading White Suffolk stud in the country when it set an on-property ram price record of $60,000.
But the real proof in the Pipkorn family’s program was that a total of 30 stud rams sold to buyers in five states and averaged $9700, with 11 of the lots selling for $10,000 or more.
This was an increase from last year’s offering, where 20 rams sold to stud duties for an average of $4825.
Principal David Pipkorn said there were a lot of high-profile studs from across the country in attendance at their annual on-property sale this year.
“They were appreciating the high-performance genetics while built into the sound structure and good breed type of our sheep,” he said.
These attributes culminated in Lot 70, Detpa Grove 240715ET, the $60,000 sale-topping sire.
By Ashmore 221308, the ram was a July 2024 drop out of an ET ewe lamb.
It had an Australian Sheep Breeding Value Terminal Carcase Production Index of 181, putting it at number eight in the country across all terminal breeds.
The ram is in the top 5 per cent for post-weaning weight, carcase weight, lean meat yield, shearforce and post-weaning eye muscle depth ASBVs.
“The ram was structurally very correct and had tremendous breed type, on a moderate frame,” David said.
“We flush our most advanced ewe lambs each year, and this ram came out of that program. “It is also a three-quarter brother to our keeper ram this year, Detpa Grove “LEGEND” 240725.”
LOT 70 was purchased by a five-state syndicate, including Valma, Whitemore, and Rangeview, Pipers River, both in Tasmania; Days Whiteface, Bordertown and Mullinger Park, Kybybolite, both in South Australia; Cheetara, South Kumminin, Western Australia and Kinellar, Canowindra, NSW.
Other stud sales included the first ram in the offering, Lot 69, purchased for $24,000 by Golden Hill stud, Kukerin, WA, with fellow WA stud Kohat, Ongerup, taking a semen share. The ram, DG240144, was also by the Ashmore 221308 sire and had a TCP of 173 and already has lambs on the ground at Detpa Grove.
Wakeleigh White Suffolks, Cavendish, Vic, paid $17,000 for their new sire, a ram with a big PWWT of 20.5, while Camborn stud at Pooncarie paid $16,000 for their pick of the catalogue and Sunnydale stud, Rupanyup, paid $15,000 for a full ET sibling to Detpa Grove’s keeper ram.
Paying $14,000 for their new rams were Allan McIntosh, Laggan, NSW, and KT Nunn, Mount Emu, Victoria, while Simon Brandenburg, Carnamah, WA purchased a stud sire for $13,000.
Operating in the specially selected sires was the Mertex stud, paying $13,000 for yet another Ashmore 221308 son, and Wingamin stud, Karoonda SA, which paid $12,000.
When it came to the females, Detpa Grove had already held a mated-ewe sale earlier this year, and David said given this the overall clearance in the ewe section was pleasing, with 56 of 67 sold at Auction, for an average of $1164.
The ewes topped at $3400 for DG.240716, a full ET sister to the top-priced ram, and purchased by Lachlan Patterson of Kinellar, who was also part of the ram syndicate.
Mr Patterson purchased three ewes in total, while Chris Squires of Shirlee Downs and Dongadillin, Quairading, WA, picked up five.
Paul Day, Sunnybanks and Faraday Park, Penguin, Tasmania, operated at the top end of the ewes, selecting two for an average of $2500, while the Scott family, Valley Vista, Coolac, NSW, took home seven ewes for an average of $1571.
Lachlan Patterson of Kinellar stud said he wanted to ensure the eating quality performance present in both the top-priced ewe and ram were coming through into their stud.
“We knew there was a lot of interest in the ram, so we had the ewe as a backup plan, and we are very happy to have the genetics of both coming into our flock,” he said.
“They are excellently structured animals, and their combined LambPlan data features amazing eating quality and shearforce attributes.”
In the flock rams, 111 were sold of 150 offered, for an average of $1524, and a top price of $2800.
While this was fewer rams cleared than at last year’s sale, the average was up by $200. ‘We had strong support on the top end, with top figured rams reflected in their quality and quite spirited bidding at the start,” David said.
“We were well supported by local agents, and a spread of buyers through Victoria and into South Australia, with the passed in rams reflective of the tough season and people offloading ewes.
“The lamb industry has held up really well and strong prices have given people confidence to continue and rewarded those that bit the bullet and fed when they needed to.”
