LIVESTOCK110 Farm Weekly Thursday, September 16, 2021

By MAL GILL

PAYING top price of $2300 atlast Thursday’s Mollerin RockDohne ram sale was goodinsurance against frost damageto crops, according to buyerReece Boyne, TA & D Boyne& Sons, Koorda.

“I can’t think of a betterreason to stay with sheep afterwe got frosted the other night,”said Mr Boyne after he won abidding competition for the 93-kilogram lot-four ram with astylish crimp to its bright fleece,a straight back line and goodproportions to its solid frame.

“I’d say we’ve lost 30 percent of our canola – and it waslooking really good too – andmaybe up to 70pc of ourwheat,” he said of the previousFriday morning’s frost event.

“It was frosted for aboutseven hours and when I wentout about the time the kids leftfor school I couldn’t read therain gauge, it was still a solidblock of ice.”

In recent years the family hadbeen cutting back Dohne flocknumbers, Mr Boyne said, toincrease cropping percentage totake advantage of canola prices,but the frost event may havechanged that.

“We mated about 1000 thisyear and next year we’llprobably mate about 1200 –we’ve got plenty of feed forthem at the moment,” he said.

“We’ve been buying MollerinRock rams since the studstarted (2003) – we startedbuying from Ian (Longmuir,Mollerin Rock Dohne founder)

and switched across to Mitchell(Applegate, Mollerin RockDohne principal at Cadoux forthe past three years).

“We’re happy with theconsistency.

“We’re just trying to get a bitmore wool on them – they’regoing alright, but that’s therams we’re chasing.

“It’s good for Mitch to have amuch better sale today than lastyear – there was goodcompetition today.”

With his father Richardwatching on, Mr Boyne boughtthroughout the sale and, apartfrom the top-priced ram, hisselection of six included the lot-35 equal third top-priced ram at$2100 and the lot-21 fifth top-priced ram at $2000.

The May-drop twin top-priced ram, tag numberMR200133, had AustralianSheep Breeding Values Dohnetrait indices of 3.4kg weanerweight (WWT), 4.3kg postweaner weight (PWT) and6.8kg yearling weight (YWT).

It had index values of 1.1 foreye-muscle depth (EMD), 25.0for yearling clean fleece weight(YCFW), -0.3 for yearling fibrediameter (YFD), 1.2 foryearling coefficient of variation(YCF) and an overall Dohneindex score of 166.0.

The May-shorn ram’s actualwool specifications were 18microns fibre diameter, 21.1 percent coefficient of variation(CV), 66.7pc yield and 4.6kggreasy fleece weight (GFW).

Its 100-day, 200-day and365-day body weightmeasurements were 32kg,

56.5kg and 70kg respectively.Two other bidders also took

home six rams.They were WR Hagboom &

Co, Dowerin, that purchasedthe lot-29 equal second top-priced ram at $2200 and the lot-nine equal fourth top-pricedram at $2050 – three rams soldat that price – and RussellBurges, NP Burges & Co,Meckering, who bid to a top of$1800.

The lot-64 other $2200 equalsecond top-priced ram went toMO & MY Sims, Beverley,with three generations attendingthe sale – grandfather Max, 88,son Graeme and wife Angela

and grandson Elliot.The Sims, who mated about

2500 ewes this year, also tookhome one of the $2050 equalfourth top-priced rams in theirfive.

Graeme Sims said the familyhad bought rams from MollerinRock Dohne for two years“about 10 or 12 years ago” buthad then switched to studscloser to home.

“This is our first time withMitchell, we had a fewrecommendations (to return toMollerin Rock) and I’m prettypleased we came up for thesale,” Mr Sims said.

“They (rams) have a huge

❐ Father and son buyers, Reece (left) and Richard Boyne, TA & DBoyne & Sons, Koorda, Mollerin Rock Dohne stud principal MitchellApplegate, Cadoux and Elders auctioneer Graeme Curry with the$2300 top-priced ram after the on-farm Mollerin Rock Dohne ramsale.

Mollerin Rock Dohnes sell to $2300 high

...World class profit genetics in an athletic package

Typical Mount Ronan sale rams...

Contact: GUY BOWEN P: 08-9641 1483 M: 0499 856 345 • E: mountronan@bordernet.com.au

www.mountronan.com.au

Tuesday, September 28, 2021Inspection from 11amSale commences 1pm

25th Annual Ram Sale

Complementary BBQ lunch and refreshments provided at sale.On-property 20km west of York on Wambyn Road.

Tim Spicer 0427 812 194

Lynton Saunders0447 254 843

100 Maternal rams (2020-drop)80 White Suffolk rams (2020-drop)

Brucellosis accredited free flock OV/AC/44

MOUNT RONAN:

“In pursuit of

Genetic Excellence”

5746586

G o t o Fa c e b o o k f o r m o r e i n d e p t h t e s t i m o n i a l v i d e o s

frame, they’re very long sheep,different sheep that we weregetting from the Katanning-Narrogin area.

“They’re drier and when wetake them south thenourishment should come outover the next year.”

The Sims-purchased a 98kg,April-drop twin, equal secondtop-priced ram that had indicesof 4.4 WWT, 4.5 PWT, 4.9YWT, 0.9 EMD, 11.8 YCFW, -0.6 YFD, -0.4 YCV and 166.1overall Dohne score.

Its wool specifications were16.6 micron, 20.5pc CV, 70.1pcyield and 4.4kg GFW, with100, 200 and 365-day bodyweights of 39kg, 64.5kg and68kg.

The Hagboom-purchased96.5kg, April-drop twin, equalsecond top-priced ram hadindices of 5.0 WWT, 6.7 PWT,8.2 YWT, 0.6 EMD, 16.3YCFW, 0.7 YFD, -1.0 YCF and172.9 score.

Its wool specifications were19.2 micron, 16.1pc CV, 63.8pcyield and 4.1kg GFW, with100, 200 and 365-day weightsof 33kg, 57.5kg and 68kg.

The lot-one equal third top-priced ram at $2100 was boughtby AN & E Tunstill, Kalannie,in a selection of three.

Volume buyer was theO’Driscoll family from GrassValley, with seven rams to a topof $1450 knocked down toM & M O’Driscoll.

Jeffries Farms, Bencubbin,M & J Stratford, Koorda andRN & AL Peacock, Northam,each purchased five rams.

Only one of the 23 registeredbidders left the sale without atleast one ram.

Three new clients were in the23 who registered and that totalwas five more than registered

last year and three more thanthe pre-COVID previous yearwhich was the first saleconducted by the Applegatefamily after taking overMollerin Rock Dohne studfrom long-time operators Ianand Steph Longmuir, Koorda.

Mr Longmuir attended lastThursday’s sale as a spectatorand was very pleased with thestandard of rams penned.

“They’re a credit to Mitchell,they’re just starting to bring outthat bit of nourishment which iswhat I like,” Mr Longmuir said.

In stark contrast to last year’ssale when only 57 of 100 ramsoffered were sold, last week all80 rams offered were sold,including 24 July-drop ramswhich were 15-20kg lighterthan their earlier drop siblings.

Sale of a passed-in ramimmediately after the auctionprovided a 100pc clearance.

At auction the sale grossed$104,500 and averaged $1323,both up considerably on lastyear’s sale.

Mitchell Applegate said it

was “all smiles around here”and he and his father Anthonywere very pleased with the saleresult.

“Especially with the wetseason this year, the wool hasheld up really well and kept thedust out and now the sun’s outthey’ve got the nourishment inthem,” Mr Applegate said of therams.

“We dropped the numbersdown a bit this year becausemore people are croppingbigger areas.

“Our sheep are looking good,you can’t fault them on theirphysical condition traits, butwe’re trying to get the indexnumbers up a bit, we’re chasinga little bit better eye muscle.”

With that in mind a new ramfrom Terry Blake’s DowellDohne Merino stud, Katanning,has been introduced to thestud’s breeding ewes, MrApplegate said.

Elders auctioneer GraemeCurry described the sale resultas a “well-earned reward foreffort” for Mr Applegate.

Farm Weekly Thursday, September 16, 2021 111LIVESTOCK

(Under the hammer results)Offered: 80Sold: 79Top: $2300Gross: $104,500Average: $1323

SALE SUMMARY

STUD ADVISORNathan King 0488 582 455Kevin Broad 0408 683 671

Contact Clinton Blight 0427 566 905 :: blight.clinton@gmail.comwww.seymourpark.com.au

200 RAMS ON OFFER

Annual On-propertyRam SaleWednesday, September 29, 2021Inspections from 10amSale starts 1pmBlight Road, Highbury

Flock No 554

5746545

2021 Rabobank

WA Sheep Expo & Ram Sale

PROram winner