Perth Royal Show: Yonga Downs White Suffolk ram sells for $16,000 at All Breeds Sale

A top price of $16,000 was achieved for a Yonga Downs White Suffolk ram at this year’s Perth Royal Show Annual All Breeds Ram and Ewe sale. The Jim Horwood Pavilion was packed with onlookers on Friday, September 27, including a healthy gathering of people who had never experienced a ram auction before. A total of 32 buyers were registered for the sale, which comprised 43 lots including South Suffolk, Suffolk, White Suffolk, Poll Dorset and Australian White rams, as well as one Suffolk ewe and four White Suffolk ewes. The top priced $16,000 ram was offered by Yonga Downs White Suffolk stud in Gnowangerup and sold to repeat clients MN and DF Blechynden, of Southdale White Suffolk Stud in Brookton. The ram was sired by Yonga Downs 210098 and boasted a BWT of 0.57, WWT of 12.63, PWT of 20.34, PEMD of 3.53 and PFAT of 0.66. Buyer Toby Blechynden said it was the ram’s growth rates and “positives in the fat” that attracted him. “He was the best all round ram: structurally he is very good and he has very good figures,” Mr Blechynden said. “He will be used over a selection of our stud ewes.” Mr Blechynden said following Southdale’s positive ram sale results earlier in the year, they were in a position to invest further in the stud. He said the stud had been providing a good return on investment for the past three years, which justified the decision to buy more top genetics. It was the second time the Blechyndens had purchased a ram from the Perth Royal Show All Breeds Ram and Ewe sale, with the first in 2022 — which had performed well — encouraging them to continue sourcing genetics from this sale. The White Suffolk section of the Annual All Breeds Ram and Ewe sale had an offering of 13 rams and four ewes selling for a total of $59,850, with rams selling for an average of $6183 and ewes $1050. Eight WA White Suffolk studs offered animals for sale: Shirlee Downs, Stockdale, Yonga Downs, Annaghdowns, Iveston, Brimfield, Kalagan and Sasimwa. The second top price ram of the sale was a White Suffolk ram offered by LR and JK Fairclough of Stockdale stud, which sold for $10,250 to Golden Hill White Suffolk stud in Kukerin. The ram was sired by Rangeview 190098 with a BWT of 0.42, WWT of 12.17, PWT of 17.66, PEMD of 3.66 and PFAT of -0.16. The small offering of White Suffolk ewes sold well, with the first two ewes offered by Stockdale White Suffolk selling under the hammer to Denham Carter of Ridgetop Stud in Narrikup. The first ewe, Lot 21, sold for $1400, being sired by Anden 190038 with a BWT of 0.28, WWT of 10.15, PWT of 15.96, PEMD of 1.68 and PFAT of -0.34. Up next was Lot 22, selling for $1000, sired by Rangeview 190098, with a BWT of 0.48, WWT of 11.46, PWT of 17.25, PEMD of 2.06 and PFAT of -0.11. Mr Carter said the two ewes were sound with great depth, body and do-ability. “They presented perfectly, and I was attracted to their bloodlines,” Mr Carter said. A Sasimwa White Suffolk ewe was next under the hammer, selling for $1000 to RT and SM Simpson of Barby Downs White Suffolk Stud in Quairading. The ewe had placed fourth in her young ewe class earlier in the week. Sired by Kiara 180012, it had a BWT of 0.69, WWT of 11.62, PWT of 17.67, PEMD of 0.66 and PFAT of -0.86. Venturon Livestock bought the last White Suffolk ewe on offer from Stockdale White Suffolk stud. The ewe was sired by Anden 190038 with a BWT of 0.28, WWT of 10.55, PWT of 15.82, PEMD of 2.48 and PFAT of -0.12. The Poll Dorset breed was second in its support and results at the sale, with a total of 17 rams offered for sale and 10 selling under the hammer for a total gross amount of $42,250 and average of $4225. Studs Shirlee Downs, Dongadilling, Tipperary and Brimfield offered Poll Dorset rams for sale, with the top-priced Poll Dorset ram offered from Shirlee Downs and selling for $6250 to AJ and CM Lawrence of Northam, to be used in their Canternatting Poll Dorset Stud. Nathan Lawrence said his father Allen had bought their first Shirlee Downs Poll Dorset rams 50 years ago. “We buy about 80 per cent of our genetics from Shirlee Downs,” Mr Lawrence said. They have supported the Annual All Breeds Ram and Ewe sale for many years and Mr Lawrence said it was the ram’s “good length” and “square rear end” that stood out. “I selected the Shirlee Downs ram on mostly visual assessment,” he said. “We will put him over about 60 of our select Poll Dorset stud ewes.” At the beginning of the sale, five Suffolk rams and one Suffolk ewe were offered for sale. Karinya, Goldenover, Annaghdowns and Alibry Suffolk studs offered rams for sale, of which three sold under the hammer for a gross total of $11,800 and an average of $3933. The top-priced Suffolk ram was offered by Richard Phillipps and Sally Larkin, of Karinya Suffolk Stud, and sold for $6000 to Bundara Downs Suffolk Stud in Bordertown, South Australia. The first ram of the day to go under the hammer was the one and only South Suffolk ram to be offered for sale from GR and DJ Bingham’s Iveston South Suffolk Stud in Williams, selling for $2000 to T Heffernan of Wickepin. Two Australian White rams were the last to be offered on the day, with one selling under the hammer for $2000 to Woolly Boolly Farm in Yarloop. Elders Donnybrook auctioneer Pearce Watling said the sale had gone reasonably considering the current state of the WA sheep market. “The rams with data sold well; there were some very buyable rams on offer which sold at very realistic values,” Mr Watling said. Elders Narrogin Stud Stock Specialist Lauren Rayner assisted throughout the sale, including buying on behalf of AuctionsPlus bidders. Ms Rayner said the sale provided an excellent quality line-up of all breeds represented. “Given the industry at the moment, I think it was a really positive sale at great prices,” Ms Rayner said.