JUSTIN Kirkby of Amarula Dorpers, Gravesend, NSW, paid $5000 for the top priced ram in the Bendigo Supreme Dorper & White Dorper Sale at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show last Sunday.
Thirteen of the 16 White Dorper rams offered sold to $5000 and averaged $1785, while 23 of 29 Dorper rams sold to $2000, av $1287.
Ewes received competitive interest, resulting in three of the six White Dorper ewes offered selling to $600, av $517, and 24 of the 27 Dorper ewes sold to $1600, av $770.
There were close to 40 registered buyers from Western Australia, South Australia, NSW and northern Victoria.
Check out the video wrap-up of the sale here
The 78-strong catalogue was fielded from 28 Dorper and White Dorper studs.
Andrea van Niekerk of Dell Dorpers and Dumisa White Dorpers, Moama, NSW, offered the top-priced ram -- a rising two-year-old son of Dumisa Mr Perfect.
The ram was praised for his exceptional length and depth in his hindquarters by Mr Kirkby, who judged the ram the day prior to the sale in the White Dorper showing.
"I spotted him in the ring -- he is a really good bodied ram," Mr Kirkby said.
The ram weighed 109 kilograms, had a fat recording of six millimetres and an eye muscle area (EMA) of 42mm.
The Kirkbys purchased semen from the ram's father, Mr Perfect, at a charity auction last year and wanted to continue to inject new genetics into their 700-head Dorper and White Dorper breeding flock.
Danny Teskera, Roslynmead stud, Echuca, paid the sale's second highest price of $3600 for a White Dorper ram from Kaya stud, Narrogin, WA.
The ram, Kaya 120731, was an embryo transfer July 2012-drop son of ET-bred parents Kaya 100742 and 101032.
Mr Teskera said he purchased a ram from Kaya three years ago, which bred well for his stud, and his new purchase was a quality stud sire.
"We were particularly looking for a well-balanced and fleshed ram and he fitted the bill well," he said.
Mr Teskera said the ram will be bred over 150 ewes by naturally backing up his own AI program to get his "genetic potency through the flock".
"We are objectively measuring now so AI is very important to us to get consistent and accurate EBVs through the number of lambs born in one week," he said.
"You can concentrate on that period of time and also allows for a more even season for growing the lambs."
The highest-priced ewe was a 12-month-old from Niemur stud, Barham, NSW. She weighed 60kg, had a fat score of 5mm and EMA of 37mm.
The thick boned ewe was in-lamb to Dell Dorper's Stretch Junior and was purchased by Cherilyn Lowe of Nomuula White Dorpers, Moombi, NSW.
The young ewe will be added to the stud's growing breeding flock that was established in 2012.
Ms Lowe was attracted to the conformation and size of the stylish ewe.
Frank Old of K&D Old & Sons, Bourke, NSW, were the most dominant buyer at the sale purchasing 11 white and black faced rams to $1200, and av $982.
The total gross of the sale, including six passed-in lots sold after the sale, totalled $76,350.
Annabelle Beale
National Sheep & Wool Writer for Fairfax Agricultural Media
National Sheep & Wool Writer for Fairfax Agricultural Media
