Wickepin-bred Poll Merino ram tops annual Lewisdale sale at $15,000

A Wickepin-bred Poll Merino ram sold to a top of $15,000 at the Lewis family’s Lewisdale Ram Sale, which resulted in a 100 per cent clearance. The 250-ram sale offering was conducted by AWN and Dyson Jones on Saturday, September 7, with Cameron Petricevich calling the bids that resulted in an average price of $2062. This compared to last year when 250 rams were offered and sold to a top of $11,500 and average price of $2244. Lewisdale stud co-principal Ray Lewis said he was pleased to “see clients staying in the game”. “They will be rewarded — sheep prices will come back, but I understand that shearing costs are challenging,” he said. Auctioneer Mr Petricevich said it was a good strong sale and rams were well presented. “There was good bidding competition on the top-end and the 100 per cent clearance was a brilliant outcome,” he said. The sale toppper, Lewisdale 848, an ET-bred Poll Merino sired by Seymour Park Willandra, stood out as lot one with repeat buyer Gary Dickenson, of Rejail Park in Miga Lake, Victoria, securing the ram through Dyson Jones Wickepin agent Andrew Kitto. Mr Dickenson will put the ram over a nucleus to breed his own commercial sires. The ram measured 20.9 micron with a comfort factor of 99.3 and a body weight of 148kg. The $7500 second top-priced ram, Lewisdale 1062, sired by a Willandra ram, was secured by Simon Thomas, who trades as Red Hill Farming Estate in Pingrup. The Thomas family also secured another Willandra sired ram for $4000. Esperance woolgrower Joe Della Vedova continued his repeat volume buying securing a total of 39 rams to a top of $3000 and average price of $1964. Mr Della Vedova said the industry was getting tougher. “Good quality rams may get harder to find after this topsy turvey season,” he said. He will run the Lewsidale rams over a flock of 12,000 breeders, with wether lambs sold to feedlots, with hopes prices improve. Also back to the sale was Stephen Fowler, of Jumbuck Plains, who secured seven top-end rams to a top of $5500 and average price of $4500. Mr Fowler said Jumbuck Plains would be in the process of shearing its 21-micron average flock that numbers 16,000 breeders in the following week, with shorn wool going straight to the auction room. “We have an eight-stand shed, but sometimes shearers don’t show up,” he said. “Currently the industry has more downside than up.” The Latham family, who trade as MC & D Latham in Narrembeen, were celebrating a milestone of buying Lewisdale rams for 30 years. Merrick Latham and his wife Dianne, and their son Ben with his partner Chloe Meriau, secured seven rams to a top of $2500 and average price of $1871. “We were selecting for bold crimp and grease structure for our Wheatbelt farm,” Ms Latham said. The Lathams mate 1500 self-replacing Merinos and also run a Suffolk crossbreeding program. Mr Lewis, who will celebrate his 80th birthday this week, enjoyed the sale from an observation seat while watching his grandson Tai Taylor, 9, and another young lad, Noah Plouwman, also 9, keep the sheep up to the selling ring. “They did a great job as our future generation, very keen on sheep and learning the trade,” Mr Lewis said. With a contingent of young ones in the family, there could be an excellent succession plan in the making for Ray and Helen Lewis. LEWISDALE POLL MERINO RAM SALE Offered: 250 Sold: 250 Top price: $15,000 Average: $2062