2016 Mated Ewe Sale

It was a delighted Funke family after their 3^rd biennial White Suffolk mated ewe sale at Western Flat, SA last Friday, 4^th March.

Although the crowd was modest, the competition was hot from the 22 registered bidders, resulting in a total clearance of 171 ewes and ewe lambs at an outstanding and neat $800 average. Seventeen buyers were successful in purchasing ewes.

“We knew there was quite a bit of enquiry which is why we added an extra 33 ewes to the offering, but to get a vote of confidence in our genetics like this is way beyond our expectations,” co-principal Steve Funke said after the sale.

Buyers from two states dominated the buying; the home base of South Australia, plus eight registrations from Western Australia. When volume buyers are prepared to operate at the top end prices, it augers well for a very successful sale and this was certainly the case here.

After being burnt out and losing all 480 of their high performance Ashmore stud breeding ewes in the devastating Pinery fire in late November last year, the Fischer family of Wasleys has been working on getting back to viable breeding numbers as quickly as possible. After purchasing 75 head at the January Wheetelande first stage dispersal sale to start that rebuild, Troy Fischer added another 57 from this sale.

He paid to the sale top of $1650 and averaged $875 in selective and astute buying. This has brought the Ashmore stud ewe base up to 132 ewe purchases. By one of those inexplicable miracles their 2015 drop weaners survived the fire, allowing those ewe lambs to also be mated and boost their breeding numbers for their 2016 lambing.

The sale commenced with 16 PTIL 2015 drop ewe lambs. It was one of these, BD7183 Tw and in lamb to Ashbourne 120020 that achieved the overall top price. With great phenotype and a C+ index of 209.8, Troy Fischer eventually won a great bidding duel with Phil Clothier, Woolumbool stud, Lucindale. Phil purchased one other elite performance ewe lamb at $1150 and later a ewe at $1250.

Nick Wadlow, Old Ashrose, Hallett and supported by his son Will, purchased 26 ewes to $1050 and at a $742 average to add to the 37 he purchased at Wheetelande. These are to commence a White Suffolk stud intended to broaden the livestock enterprise base from the renowned Old Ashrose Poll Merino stud.

R & CS Rudiger, Karoonda was another strong SA bidder, purchasing six top ewes at a $958 average.

Roy Addis, Landmark Livestock Services, Western Australia travelled to the sale with his son Brenton and client Greg Hyde, Ongerup. With seven buying orders between them they collectively purchased 50 ewes and ewe lambs to the equal second top price of $1500 and at a $785 average. Greg Hyde was the most prominent amongst them, selecting 20 ewes for his family’s Kohat stud.

Grant and Debbie Bingham, Iveston stud, Williams purchased the $1500 ewe, plus another at $1200 for their two purchases. Brenton Addis selected 10 ewes from $500 to $1100 and at a $775 average for the Fairclough family’s Stockdale stud, York, while Roy purchased 13 from $500 to $1200 and at a $908 average for the Luke Ledwith, Yanda stud, Dudinin.

Simon Kerin’s Ashbourne stud, Katanning (2 ewes), JH Harding’s Burrapark stud, Boyup Brook (2 ewes), and W White’s Jackpot stud, Boyup Brook (1 ewe) rounded out their purchases.

TJO & SA Stevenson, Kojonup sent an extra Western Australian buying order through sale agent Elders Ltd. They were successful in purchasing eight ewes to $900 and at a $706 average, thus rounding out Western Australia’s overall contribution to 34% of the offering at a $774 average.

Originally Steve, Ros and Greg & Selena Funke catalogued the 138, 2012 to 2015 drop ewes that were tested pregnant from their December 5^th and January 8^th AI programs. The balance of 33 ewes was consequently paddock mated to Bundara Downs 122261 from December 20^th with the intention of going back into the stud. This ram has outstanding performance figures culminating in a Carcase Plus index of 222.72 with a vast majority of the predicted EBVs of the progeny being over 200 for C+. It therefore caused some angst in the family once the level of enquiry for the catalogued ewes increased and the decision was made to add these ewes to the sale with pregnancy status unconfirmed. That decision proved decisive in helping satisfy buying demand as nine buyers topped up their purchase numbers and the 33 achieved exactly the overall sale average of $800.

Elders auctioneer Tony Wetherall commended the Funke family pre-sale on the outstanding genetic quality they had put up which was backed up visually, despite the very ordinary seasonal conditions they had endured in the region.