Kurrabi Park Suffolk and White Suffolk to $732 average
- By: "Farm Tender" News
- Ag Tech News
- Aug 24, 2017
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The Dennis family, Kurrabi Park studs, Koppio presented 81 young and totally paddock reared Suffolk and White Suffolk rams for buyer competition at their 9th annual on-property ram sale on Monday (21st). There was a larger crowd of 40 in attendance including 16 registered bidders, with seven of these new to the Kurrabi Park auction.
Described by auctioneer Tony Wetherall as, “genetically very good with top Lambplan figures,” 45 sold to an $1150 top and averaged $732. Considering their qualities this was an opportunity missed by many, but on the positive side, the overall result was well up on last year. The top price was up $150, the average up $108 while 11 more sold at auction.
High fertility was another feature with 75% of the rams being from multiple births.
Principals Mark, Karen and Logan Dennis said they were pleased to see the bigger crowd and were particularly pleased with the lift in Suffolk demand. They anticipated the balance will be sold when more breeders calculate their needs, but considering the value this sale would have been the place to buy them.
The top price of $1150 was paid by Elders Tumby Bay agent Braden Southern bidding for repeat clients CD & JM Skinner, Cummins. This was paid $1150 for KP112, a Suffolk ideally suited to the production of export weight lambs. Overall they purchased seven rams (four White Suffolks and three Suffolks) at a $950 average and this also included the $1100 top priced White Suffolk, KP28, an impressive son of homebred and high performance sire KP208.
Chris Williams, Kimba was the biggest volume buyer with 10 Suffolk rams, paying to $950 and averaging $710; great value in today’s lamb industry. He regularly sells at the top of the Dublin lamb markets with his lambs, produced by putting the Kurrabi Park Suffolk rams over first cross SAMM/Merino ewes. He bought through Landmark Kimba’s Kym Villis.
Natalie Clark, Landmark Area Wool Manager for Eyre Peninsula and based at Streaky Bay bid strongly for four new buying accounts at the Kurrabi Park auction, accumulating 14 rams at a $725 average. These included Tamara Armstrong (two White Suffolks and three Suffolks to $1050) who was present, plus three who sent buying orders.
In the last three years the clearance rate between the two breeds has fluctuated, with White Suffolks clearing seven more last year, while Suffolks cleared 18 more this year. In the previous year the demand ratio was similar to this year and that fluctuation can only be put down to some buyers only attending every couple of years rather than annually. The Dennis family deliberately increased numbers on offer beyond expected demand to ensure there was a wider selection choice for prospective buyers, rather than attempting to inflate prices through limited supply.
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