*107 of 113 ewes sold to $6500, avg $1061
AUSTRALIA’S record price for a White Suffolk ewe was smashed at this week’s Detpa Grove White Suffolk 11th bi-annual mated ewe sale.
The new high price of $6500 easily eclipses the $5100 set last year at the Ramsay Park ewe dispersal in SA. Detpa Grove stud principal David Pipkorn said the ewe was a unique blend of genetics and exceptionally good in lean meat yield.
The record-setting ewe, Lot 49 180294Tw was sired by Warburn 160048 who is the sire of Detpa Grove stud ram, DG Noble. Her PEMD was +3.30 and TCP 152, plus she was mated with high-muscling ram sire Somerset 190158.
Top-priced ewe buyer Murray Long from Pendarra White Suffolk in Ardlethan, NSW, said she was the highest-performing ewe in the catalogue and would suit his conditions and add to the quality of his stud.
Mr Pipkorn said the overall sale exceeded expectations. “There was plenty of good buying through the sale and people were pleased with their purchases,” Mr Pipkorn said.
“Different people were chasing different things and when they clashed the prices went up fairly high. “People were looking a balance of all traits, physical and phonotype and genotype and when they all came together there was a fair bit of competition.”
The auction was on site at Jeparit and livestreamed via AuctionsPlus. There were about 30 people on-property and huge support online with 124 log ins and 19 bidders, including 13 successful buyers.
In total, 59 lots sold online to a top price of $2000. Mr Long had no regrets about paying a record Australian price. “It was an exciting day,” he said. “You go there to buy something and it’s no good walking home empty handed.”
In total Mr Long bought seven ewes, including the second top priced, Lot 94, 160646Tw for $4000. She was a 2016 drop ewe sired by homebred sire 150008, mated to Somerset 190158 and High in PEMD +4.21.
Mr Long said Lot 49 and the other purchases would fit well into his program. “I run about 900 stud ewes and my program is based on tight market suitability, high feed efficiency and great doability,” Mr Long said.
“Lot 49 was the highest performance ewe and the progeny in her were far and away the highest performance sheep in the catalogue, but what was more important was the mix of fat and muscle indexes, progeny fat and low birthweight which really works out here.
“The muscle index is a good indicator for me about feed efficiency and doability.
“I like to bring pregnant ewes back here so I can let the lambs grow out under my conditions and my regime. I’ve been buying genetics from David for 25 years and his sheep do very well here.”
Making the trip across the border paid off for Tim and Philip Duffield. They were winning bidders on a total of 20 lots, including the third top-priced ewe, Lot 26, 180779 for $2200.
All 20 ewes are headed to the Duffields’ recently established White Suffolk stud, ‘Strathfield Genetics’, in Stockport, SA.
Elders Stud Stock auctioneer Ross Milne said it was a very good clearance highlighted by the record price.
“It was a fantastic price but also a good buy; she had a nice balanced set of data, very high muscle, good TCP and a nice Type,” he said.
Sales went locally and across Victoria and into New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania, including new and repeat buyers and strong support from SA.
“It was a very good clearance with a lot of online activity,” Mr Milne said.
“The sheep were very good all the way through, and bidders were taking into consideration performance figures and the phenotype and structure of the sheep.
Courtesy of Rick Bayne, Stock & Land
