Detpa Grove White Suffolk stud sold rams into five states at their annual on-property sale at Jeparit on Thursday.
The sale averaged $1870 for 140 of 170 stud and flock rams sold.
The 30 stud rams averaged $3816 and topped at $9000 twice for two stud rams.
The first top-priced lot, the second ram through the ring, was bought by Wakeleigh White Suffolk stud principal Kylie Wake, Cavendish, who was in attendance to the sale for the first time in almost 10 years.
“He was a very big, solid ram and had great depth of carcass,” Ms Wake said of her top-priced ram pick.
“He had the extreme growth for his weaning weight and post-weaning weight figures – that’s what we were looking for,” she said.
“It’s the first time I’ve been to Detpa Grove for quite some time.
“We had a look online before the sale and he was the type of ram I was looking for.”
Ms Wake is familiar with the Detpa Grove genetics having bought the top-priced ram at the Bendigo Elite sale in 2022 for $22,000, who was bred by Detpa Grove.
“When I need to, I buy the top-end rams to go in with my own stud rams,” she said.
“I don’t need outcross genetics all the time but I’ve had a few years of just using my own genetics and have been looking to buy in genetics.”
Ms Wake has been running the Wakeleigh White Suffolk stud since 2018 but breeding White Suffolks since the 1990s and will offer her own selection of 80 rams at her on-property sale next week.
Several lots later Ronobri stud principal Robert Mitchell, Lockington, picked up the second equal top-priced ram for $9000.
Detpa Grove co-stud principal Michelle Pipkorn and one of the equal $9000 top-price buyers Ronobri stud principal Robert Mitchell, Lockington.
Stud principal David Pipkorn said given the season and the difficulty a lot of local farmers are experiencing, he “didn’t put any expectations on the sale”.
“But I’m really happy with the results,” Mr Pipkorn said.
The sale clearance was bolstered by several returning volume buyers, stud and flock producers among them.
“It’s great to see those repeat buyers return and be ecstatic about what great results they’ve had with the rams over the last few years,” Mr Pipkorn said.
“They know what the rams can do for them and to have that client base is essential to running a stud.
“If they can pick up a ram that’s going to bring their average down, that’s the beauty of the auction system and we’re happy to support clients in tough years.”
Buyers came from Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania as well as throughout Victoria.
The with the majority of the interstate buyers were studs but the online streaming of the sale was popular.
“This is the first year we had commercial buyers tune in online to buy flock rams,” Mr Pipkorn said.
The flock rams have streamed through AuctionsPlus at the sale for the past four years but this was the first year they attracted online bidding.
The ‘Edenhope boys’ as they’re know to the stud are a group of five or six farmers who picked up around 50 rams on the day.
“They’re a group of local farmers who all carpool to our sale and will sometimes send a truck to pick up all their rams, and they’ve been very big supporters of our sale for a number of years,” Mr Pipkorn said.
Greg McGurk is one of the Edenhope crew who purchased 22 flock rams to a top of $1400 on the day.
Craig Bennie is another one of the Edenhope boys who picked up four rams at the sale to a top of $1500.
They will go back to his farm at Edenhope where he runs 1800 first-cross ewes.
Story courtesy of Petra Oates, Stock & Land