Kiara ram tops Show sale

A total of 56 rams and two ewes went under the hammer at the annual all breeds stud ram and ewe sale during the 2015 IGA Perth Royal Show.

This year's top price ram was a White Suffolk offered by Kiara College, selling for $18,500 to Luke Ledwith of M.J. and S.K. Ledwith in Kulin.

Mr Ledwith said the ram would be used as a stud sire over their top White Suffolk ewes using both artificial insemination and natural cover.

He said it was both the ram's figures and visual assessment that impressed him and stud adviser John Argent.

"He is big and long and deep in his carcase and good on his feet," Mr Ledwith said.

It was the first time Mr Ledwith had bought a ram at this sale, but Mr Argent had previously bought rams at the event.

Mr Argent was acting as an adviser for the Ledwith family after selling them his family's Yanda White Suffolk stud in 2014.

Mr Ledwith said he was very confident about the future of protein from a global market perspective and felt the Australian sheep industry in particular had a positive future before it.

As well as the top-priced Kiara College White Suffolk ram, Mr Ledwith also bought an Iveston White Suffolk ram for $2500 and a Brimfield White Suffolk ram for $3250.

Both rams would also be used on a selection of stud ewes.

Kiara College agricultural training officer Peter Nalder said achieving the top price for their ram was an exceptional achievement for their Year 10 students involved in this year's sheep program.

Earlier in the week, the ram won the supreme champion White Suffolk ram award.

These results followed the ram's success during Wagin Woolorama earlier this year, where Mr Nalder said the college had received inquiries to purchase the ram.

"The ram is well put together, a great example of the breed and has exceptional Lambplan Estimated Breeding Value figures," Mr Nalder said.

Achieving a State record at this year's sale was Pamellen stud for its supreme champion Suffolk ram.

The ram sold for $8000 to Peter and Rochell Walker of Jusak stud in Newdegate, repeat buyers for the Pamellen stud.

Mr Walker said the ram was a beautiful, long and correct sire.

Pamellen co-principal Pam Hinkley said she was thrilled with the support shown for their stud at this year's sale.

The ram not only won the supreme Suffolk exhibit award, but went on to be British Breed, Australasian and Other Breeds reserve supreme champion ram and was also part of the winning Suffolk team during the all breeds interbreed group of three rams competition.

Achieving a stud record at this year's sale was Iveston White Suffolk stud for its reserve champion White Suffolk ram, which sold for $14,500, also to Peter and Rochell Walker of Jusak stud.

Mr Walker said the ram was very long with good Carcase Plus index figures.

Iveston stud principal Grant Bingham said the sale price was double their record and was bought by repeat buyers, which was great to see.

The third top price was achieved by Shirlee Downs for their grand champion Poll Dorset ram, which sold for $11,500 to Greg Hambley of Mt Barker.

"It was the best ram in the sale with excellent hind quarters, length and good shoulders," Mr Hambley said.

Sasha Squiers of Shirlee Downs said the ram sold to repeat buyers from the stud and that they were happy with this year's sale results, with all rams passed in selling privately after the sale.

Selling rams for the first time at this year's sale was Curlew Creek Poll Dorset Stud in Gnowangerup.

Stud principal Collyn Garnett said he was really happy with their first sale at the Royal Show.

"The season is looking positive at the moment and the outlook for meat sheep is also positive," Mr Garnett said.

He said they had been watching their top-price ram, which sold for $5750 to Nick Cheetham in Narembeen, since he was a lamb.

"We knew he was fairly special from the start," Mr Garnett said.

"Our aim at the stud is to try and breed big free-moving sheep with good Australian Sheep Breeding Values."

Mr Cheetham was a first time buyer for Curlew Creek. He said the ram had good scale and was clean in the face and points.

Volume buyers at this year's sale were the Phillips family of Kanangra Hills stud in Manjimup.

They bought a total of four Poll Dorset rams from Willow Park, Brimfield and Curlew Creek Poll Dorset studs for an average of $3062 a head.

Kanangra Hills Poll Dorset stud co-principal Lyndsay Philips said her family were selecting for new genetics, choosing well-structured rams with clean points.

Landmark auctioneer John Wirth said the top end of the sale was "absolutely brilliant".

"What buyers came for, they were prepared to pay for," Mr Wirth said.

He said the presentation of rams was very good, with buyers selective at the top end of stud rams offered.

All Breeds Ram and Ewe Sale * Breed Stud Offered Sold Top Price Average Suffolk Pamellen 2 2 $8000 $6750 Ile De France Goldenover 2 1 $800 $800 Alcostro 4 0 - - White Suffolk Iveston 3 3 $14,500 $7084 Brimfield 4 3 $3250 $2584 Kiara 3 3 $18,500 $7500 Sasimwa 1 1 $2000 $2000 Kohat Farm 1 1 $3000 $3000 Ridgetop 2 0 - - White Suffolk Ewes Kiara 2 2 $1900 $1750 White Dorper Lumani 2 0 - - Dorper Plantagenet 3 0 - - Poll Dorset Dongadilling 7 6 $5250 $3750 Shirlee Downs 7 6 $11,500 $4197 Brimfield 4 4 $4000 $2625 Willow Park 6 3 $2500 $2167 Tipperary 2 0 - - Ridgetop 2 0 - -

WACA, Cunderdin 1 0 - -