2014 Sale Results
ON PROPERTY RAM SALE, WARREN NSW
A loyal crowd of repeat buyers bid strongly during the Macquarie Dohnes annual ram sale last week diving prices to $4400.
The carcase and wool attributes of the line up were commented on by potential before the sale as being consistent and even throughout the rams offered by the Nadin family and McCann family, Warren, which resulted in 131 rams sold of the 138 rams offered, at an average of $1808.
The first lot of the sale attracted the highest bid on the day knocked down for $4400 to repeat buyers Stephen and Dianne Perry, Wyndabyne, Warren.
Described by Mr Perry as a ‘cracking dual purpose ram’ he will be joined to select ewes in the Perry’s 2000 head F2 Dohne flock.
With the highest Dohne Index Value in the catalogue of 150.74 the outstanding s sire out of Macquaries leading sire family, the Majestic family, also topped the catalogue for clean fleece weight at 24.68 and was described as being ‘square and correct with beautiful nourished wool’.
The Perrys have been buying Macquarie rams since 2003 and select from the top end of the catalogue to produce rams for in-flock use.
The second top ram was purchased by DD Dohnes of Moama in the southern Riverina for another of the high indexing rams – 140.77, with a good balance of carcase and wool Australian Sheep Breeders Values (ASBV’s) including an Eye Muscle Depth ASBV of + 1.22mm and a clean fleece weight of + 8.06.
The sale saw plenty of buyers buying in volume including O’Brien Brigalows Pastoral Company, Come-By-Chance via Walgett, which bought 29 rams on the day paying to a top of $3000 and averaging $17130.
The partnership run by Michael and Annie O’Brien with son Tom join 6000 dohne ewes annually.
The family is one of the stud’s longest-standing clients returning annually because of the consistency in quality and the consistency in results of the Macquarie genetics.
Selecting primarily on carcase quality and yield the O’Briens are targeting the rising lamb and mutton demand from all parts of the world, Micheal O’Brien said.
‘The Dohnes are fantastic foragers of dry feed in the western areas of NSW and do well as a result’, he said.
Mr O’Brien also added the principals at Macquarie were excellent to deal with and assisted annually in classing the Brigalows’ flock annually.
Also purchasing in volume were the buyers of the 2013 top priced ram D.P O’Brien Family Trust, Cryon Station, Walgett which secured 11 rams at an average of $2090.
Two Queensland buyers also operated at the sale purchasing at both ends of the scale with Pabra Pastoral, Cunnamulla buying nine rams to a top at an average of $1133, while Secasc Pty Ltd also of Cunnamulla bought six rams at an average of $2200.
Macquarie Dohnes will next offer rams at the Riverina Performance sale, Hay, and later in the year at Ballarat, Victoria and Campbell Town, Tasmania.
The sale was closed by co-principal Greg McCann who said the repeat clients who continued to support the stud gave them “great confidence” in the direction it was heading.
The sale was conducted by Landmark, Dubbo, with auctioneer Paul Dooley, Tamworth, at the rostrum.
Brad Wilson Landmark Stud Stock Dubbo, Vendor John Nadin , Macquarie Dohne Stud and his daughter
Grace, buyers of the top priced ram Dianne & Stephen Perry, “Wyndabyne” Warren
Ash McGilchrist Landmark Warren, Auctioneer Paul Dooley Tamworth and Macquarie co-principal Greg McCann.
RIVERINA PERFORMANCE RAM SALE, HAY NSW
There was steady inquiry for the 26 Dohne rams offered by Macquarie Dohne stud, Warren with 23 being sold for average price of $1100.
Macquarie Dohne stud co-principal John Nadin was pleased with the result.
“We are selling over 500 rams into northern NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria & Tasmania and we are looking at increasing our exposure in the Riverina,” Mr Nadin said.
“By coming to Hay, we are also servicing existing clients and giving others the chance to look at our sheep.”
Held in the grounds of Shear Outback, Hay, the top priced ram at $1800 was paid by Michael O’Brien “Kincora” Walgett.
Mr O’Brien has been buying Macquarie Dohne rams for ten years for his 7000 breeding ewe flock and selected the ram for his outstanding conformation and excellent ASBV’s of Clean Fleece Weight of 16.77, Fibre Diameter of -0.23 and Dohne Index Value of 131.36.
Recently, Mr O’Brien has sold the last of his April/May drop wether lambs and averaged over $60 for the entire drop.
Chris Bowman purchased 8 rams for new Macquarie Dohne client Mark Kearinef “Euabalong Station” Wellington paying average price of $1225.
Mr Kearinef said the rams will be joined to recently purchased Goolgumbla-blood Merino ewes.
“They will be joined to the Dohne rams to form a base flock for joining to Poll Dorset rams as the terminal sire,” Mr Kearinef said.
Barry Hutton “Balpool” Moulamein has purchased Dohne rams for the past 5 years and started selecting Macquarie Dohne rams 2 years ago.
Mr Hutton had been joining 2500 Merino ewes, but now his flock of 2300 ewes are either pure Dohne, 75% or 50% Dohne.
“We wanted to get away from Mulseing our lambs and since the introduction of Dohne rams we have not needed to mulse,” Mr Hutton said.
“In fact, we actually let the shearers let us know if there are any problems – and of the 1200 ewe weaners shorn recently, only 15-20 were culled.
“I like the ease of management of the Macquarie Dohnes and the production capability of the lambs.
“There is no problem getting them through to export weights if you want to.
“We have just sold some 8 month old Poll Dorset/Dohne lambs for $190 that weighed 34kgs.”
Another repeat buyer Cameron Crisp “Matong” Yass took home a selection of 6 rams at average $900.
The sale was conducted through the agency of Elders Rural Services, with Jason Andrews, Elders Deniliquin taking the bids.
6th ANNUAL TASMANIAN INVITATION RAM SALE
Dohnes top at $1900
ANDREW MILLER / 31 Oct, 2014 / Stock & land
IT WAS a slow start to the sixth annual Tasmanian Dohne Invitation sale yesterday, but the auction finished strongly, with several buyers taking home more than one ram.
The top price of $1900 was paid by the Fowlers of Bendeveron at Bothwell for a Macquarie ram, with a birthweight of 6.3kg and eye muscle depth of 1.2.
The ram, dropped in June last year, had an ASBV of 145.2.
Bendeveron also bought the stud sire for $1200.
Russell Fowler said the top priced ram was “high on the indexes.”
He said the property was looking to put Dohnes over Merinos, to give more frame and wool.
“They can produce a good first cross lamb,” Mr Fowler said.
The property owned 11 Dohne rams, adding three at the sale.
“They are good, I have got first cross ones that are joined as two tooths this year, so it will be interesting to see how they go this year,” Mr Fowler said.
“With margins for lambs so good at the moment, and wool being down, the Dohnes are doing very well, when you are trying to go from the fine end to something that can produce a first cross lamb, then the best way to get there is a Dohne.”
There were four vendors altogether, including Macquarie stud principal John Nadin, Warren, NSW.
He said while the sale started slowly, it ended up quite successfully.
A total of 25 of 30 sold to $1900, av $1225
“I think a lot of sales have been on the mainland and a lot of people have bought them on the mainland, I think, in the past, there has been a view the tail end were coming down here, but that’s far from the case,” Mr Nadin said.
“I had 75 rams come into Tasmania last year, so I had some big orders, so a lot of my clients were operating, hopefully.
“I think the Dohne is making headway here, especially the way the wool market is and the lamb market, I think the Dohne does have a future in Tasmania.”
Auctioneer Tim Woodham, of Roberts said the sale wasn’t as buoyant as he had expected, given the strong crowd.
“There were a few sheep they liked, everyone seemed to be wanting to
buy a particular sheep, they will hang off and hope they will get it,” Mr Woodham said.
Russell Fowler, Bothwell, purchased the top priced Dohne ram at $1900.