AN IMPRESSIVE draft of nearly 200 well-muscled terminal sires met strong competition at Paxton stud’s fifth twilight on-property sale at Western Flat on Wednesday last week.
Both Martin and Kirsty Harvey’s Poll Dorset and White Suffolk rams topped at a very healthy $2600 and their averages were not far off their exceptional 2021 sale.

In a full clearance 98 White Suffolks averaged $1588 and 91 of 95 Poll Dorsets averaged $1737.

PPHS’s Ray Jaensch, Paxton stud’s Martin Harvey (third from left) and daughter Lilly with Angus Bryson, Keppoch and David Will, Bangham, who both outlaid $2600 for their top Poll Dorset picks.

 

This was eight more Poll Dorsets than sold in 2021.
Regular top-end buyer PG&D Will, Bangham and A&S Bryson, Keppoch, set the pace early in the Poll Dorsets both securing their picks for the equal top money.

The two May 2021 drops- lots 9 and 20-were both sired by Wrattenbullie 16042 and had identical weaning weight figures of 11.2. They were both born as twins.
In the White Suffolks, two sons of Waratah 18004 equalled the $2600 sale high.

The first of these, lot 6 which had a Terminal Carcase Production index of 141 sold to Oakalari, Pinnaroo, as one of their two buys.

PG&D Will were back in the action with lot 9 – a May 2021 drop with a slightly higher TCP of 143.3.

Many of the 41 registered bidders from the Mallee and South East had volume orders and were able to fill them at their own budgets.
Brecon Props, Keith, bought 10 rams in the top half of the Poll Dorset catalogue paying to $2400 three times and averaging $2040 for them.
B&H Maddern, Langkoop, found great value with six of their seven buys at the $1000 base price.

Parilla Premium Potatoes, Parilla, secured 12 White Suffolks to $1600 multiple times for a $1350 average and Dolling Produce, Keppoch took home seven White Suffolks between $1600-$1800.

NJ&MJ Watson, Lucindale, also bought seven White Suffolks for a $1843 average, paying to a $2000 high.

DM&JK Muster, Pinnaroo, bought six rams of each breed, averaging $1500 for the White Suffolks and $1367 for their Poll Dorsets.

PPHS’s Josh Manser – who shared the auctioneering duties with Jono Spence – said the rams were “very well presented” and a credit to the Harvey family.

“It was a solid enough sale with a lot of repeat buyers so they are obviously happy with the rams they have been buying over the years and their durability,” he said.

‘You could buy a ram in the first pen right through to the last pen on evenness.”
Mr Harvey said he was “absolutely rapt” with the result and support from long-time buyers who had been achieving great results with their prime lambs, along with a few new faces.

“We just want to sell our rams and get them into people’s paddocks- that is what is most pleasing today there are very few terminal rams left,” he said.

“Particularly some of the Poll Dorset sales this season the clearance hasn’t been quite there , we didn’t quite get 100 per cent but close to it and a very healthy average.”
Mr Harvey was also pleased with the feedback from their clients about the quality and performance of the rams and said they had grown out well considering the wet, cold weather in recent weeks.
The stud will hold its second sale on Thursday, October 13 and has already had strong interest in its maternal offering with 180 Border Leicesters on offer.

For the first time the auction will be interfaced with AuctionsPlus.

 

(Stock Journal, October 2022)