Article in The Land by Jamie Brown
Kismet stud at Howlong sold 168 lots, including Poll Dorset, Southdown/White Suffolk cross and White Suffolk rams, to average $2168 and gross $364,300 at its on-property sale last Wednesday.
All rams were performance tested and grass fed with a minimal supplement of oats during this wet winter, with repeat clients keen to bid up for the right article.
Poll Dorset rams averaged $1364 and sold to a top of $2600, Southdown cross rams averaged $2489 and sold to $4000, and White Suffolk rams averaged 2087, selling to $3900.
Joe Mooney from Bullakina, Gouburn bought the highest selling Southdown/White Suffolk cross for $4000.
Graham Wilson and David Hill Livestock bought a $4000 White Suffolk ram for St Paul’s College as a donation to rekindle their White Suffolk Stud.
The volume buyers were Valeclare Farm from Boorhaman, Vic, which came away with 18 White Suffolk rams.
Repeat client David Bird, Boorool, Balldale, bought nine Southdown/White Suffolk rams. The quick maturing and slightly easier lambing qualities from the Southdown type were important for Mr Bird’s fat lamb production program.
“We’ve swung over to the Southdown cross ram because of its better carcase,” he said. “These types are not readily available. And with Kismet stud you know what you are getting because they are genuine paddock reared.”
Mr Bird said he preferred to turn lambs off at around 26 to 28 kilograms but could push those Southdown cross lambs to the mid-30kg mark if necessary.
“But we prefer to run more and turn them off at a lower weight,” he said. “We put a lot of emphasis on the shape of our rams to minimise management and maximise lambing percentages,” stud principal Graham Wilson said. “Our lambing percentages back this up as they are generally around 170 per cent with no interference.”
AuctionsPlus logged a total of 57 registered bidders from four states. Online interaction with the catalogue was strong with 907 views.
Leave A Comment