Allendale’s Suffolk resurgence highlights sale

With a long and illustrious history of producing outstanding stud and commercial seedstock for the sheepmeat industry, highlights have been many, but the Suffolk results at this year’s Allendale 3 breed meat-sheep sale would take some topping.

The breed is renowned for producing quick growing and easy care lambs, especially in marginal conditions. This may have been a big factor in the popularity of the breed this year as many normally good areas are ‘marginal’ as the result of one of this country’s worst droughts. The 12 stud rams, 40 flock rams and 34 stud ewes in the Suffolk draft all cleared, with each Suffolk draft topping the averages over their Poll Dorset and White Suffolk counterparts.

As rewarding as the Suffolk result was though, a big disappointment was the lack of support for the terrific quality line-ups of Poll Dorset flock rams and stud ewes. A larger supply of Poll Dorset rams in the South East, combined with an almost ‘panic sell-off’ of commercial ewes from producers not used to such testing seasons in the area, severely limited demand on the day. This result is in line with several other sales in the last 2 weeks though.

The White Suffolk drafts, along with the Poll Dorset stud ram offering, received solid support to give an overall sale gross of $225,700 and average of $730/head for the 309 sheep sold. 92 registered bidders from 4 Australian states and New Zealand were registered to compete for the stock on offer.

The sale topped @ $4,000, paid by Kent & Rose Martin, ‘Chickerloo’ stud, Kalangadoo for the lot 1 Suffolk stud ram; plus Rohan & Tom Giles, ‘Crower’, Lucindale for the top Poll Dorset stud ram.

Both families are strong and loyal repeat buyers of Allendale genetics, admiring them for their outstanding correct structure and balance, combined with more than acceptable performance recording figures through Lambplan.

Kent and Rose Martin run the same 3 breeds as Allendale and have regularly purchased top rams in all 3 breeds. Their Suffolk purchase this year was for A1927, a son of A1543, the reserve interbreed ram from Adelaide and Melbourne in 2003. A1927 was Champion ram at Hamilton Sheepvention and Res Champion ram at Melbourne recently.

Bruce Rolfe, Ballarat, Vic paid $3,750 for lot 2 in the Suffolks, to add to the 6 stud ewes he also purchased earlier, paying to $525 for these.

John and Colleen Bellis, Mudgee, NSW were repeat buyers, going to $3,500 for a stud ram, while Peter and Lesley Mitchell, Robertstown, NSW paid $3,000; both for Coleford 429 (NZ) sons. The Mitchells also purchased 5 Suffolk stud ewes, including the sale top ewe @ $600. The 12 Suffolk stud rams averaged a terrific $2,729, while the 34 ewes averaged $371.

The Suffolk flock ram total clearance saw a top of $1,100 paid by DA & JA Gommers & Son P/L, Murray Bridge for 2 of the draft. Coolana Rural, through Elders Mortlake, Victoria picked up 8 from $500 to $600, while WR & EM Jackson, Keith paid to $800 in purchasing 4 rams.

However the dominant buyer in this section was J & J Thring Pastoral, Telopea Downs, buying through Elders Bordertown. They purchased 21 of the draft from $500 to $750.

The White Suffolk stud ram offering included the Reserve Champion rams at both the recent Adelaide and Melbourne Royal Shows. The stud also won this award at Hamilton earlier; that winner selling at Adelaide for $10,000. All 3 were sons of the $35,000 DG ‘Fair Dinkum’, but the 2 in this sale were secured by their purchasers at the bargain basement price of $2,500 each.

Victorian agents, Lempiere Fox & Lillee (for an undisclosed buyer) and HG Thompson & Sons, Yorketown, SA were the lucky buyers. They were joined by KC McCallum & Co, Melrose and I & S Plumridge, Ridgwell Downs, through PPH & S Naracoorte as buyers of stud rams at this $2,500 top price in the draft. The 15 that sold averaged $1,773, with astute flock ram buyers picking up some of the later lots in this draft.

In the White Suffolk ewe draft, Ian & Billie Nunan, Hilton Rural, Greenways went to the top of $475. Purchasing through Denis Manhood Livestock, they were also the equal biggest volume buyers with 10 ewes. Joining them on this number was Lempiere Fox & Lillee who paid from $200 to $275 for their client. Mark Fairlie, Agricultural manager for Trinity College, Gawler purchased 8 of the best ewes, going to $425. The 39 ewes that sold averaged $290.

In the White Suffolk flock rams, AF & CM Tucker, Bordertown was the volume buyer, picking up 7 rams from $400 to $500. Prices in this section were down on last year’s exceptionally good result as buyers were being particularly frugal, with seasonally affected spending. However, the clearance was quite good considering this.

The Leongatha area in Victoria was particularly strong though with 4 buyers of prominence. AC Landy went to the draft top of $850 in purchasing 5 White Suffolk rams. LC & SE Marriot went to $675 in also picking up 5 of the better rams, while Elm Valley and Caithness Partners both bought 6 rams each, paying tops of $625 and $725 respectively.

In the Poll Dorset stud rams, the $4,000 top priced ram that was purchased by the Giles family was sired by Valma 52/03 and won the performance class at the recent Melbourne Royal show. Neville Hutchesson, Millicent went to $3,500 for the 2nd Valma 52 son, having paid last year’s Poll Dorset top of $5,000. All 18 of the Poll Dorset listed stud rams sold, averaging a credible $1,900.

As with the White Suffolks, several astute top end flock ram buyers were successful in picking up rams from the latter half of this draft. Long time supporters of Allendale Poll Dorset rams, G Smith & Co, buying through O’Connor & Graney, Mt Gambier, was one, picking up 3 to $1,400. They later added 11 rams from the flock ram draft; with their 14 rams in total averaging a great value for quality price of $757.

Will McDonald, Furan Props, through Elders Strathalbyn secured 2 White Suffolk studs @ $1,000 and $1,100, then added 9 top Poll Dorset flock rams to the top of $1,300 from this draft. RB & VM Pilgrim, Bordertown paid to $900 in purchasing 10 from the Poll Dorset flock ram draft, at a great value $580 for such top quality rams.

Unfortunately this draft suffered most from the drought induced buying downturn with only a 52% clearance.

The Poll Dorset stud ewe offering was a case of ‘opportunity missed’ by stud breeders. Only 8 cleared to a top of $300 paid by David Galpin, Penola, while PF & AM Nevill, Warrnambool purchased 4 @ $200 each to be the volume buyer.

Sale Summary
Suffolks	Stud Rams	12 sold to $4,000 and averaged $2,729
	Stud ewes	34 sold to $600 and averaged $371
	Flock rams	40 sold to $1,100 and averaged $677
Poll Dorsets	Stud Rams	18 sold to $4,000 and averaged $1,900
	Stud ewes	8 sold to $300 and averaged $219
	Flock rams	62 sold to $1,300 and averaged $633
White Suffolks	Stud Rams	15 sold to $2,500and averaged $1,773
	Stud ewes	39 sold to $475 and averaged $290
	Flock rams	78 sold to $850 and averaged $516
Overall 309 head grossed $225,700 & averaged $730/head
Sale agents: Elders Ltd & Landmark Auctioneers: Jono Spence & Luke Schreiber (Elders) Malcolm Scroop & Geoff Watts (Landmark)

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