*44 of 62 Poll Dorset rams sold to $4600, av $1077
*32 of 38 White Suffolk rams sold to $4200, av $1228
Pepperton Poll Dorset and White Suffolk stud held its fifth annual ram sale during the Elmore Field Days last week.
The offering of the stud's next generation of elite performance Poll Dorset and White Suffolk genetics meant buyer registrations doubled from 2018, up to 28 from 14 on the previous year.
Greater competition boosted the top price by $600 this year, meanwhile the average price jumped $96 and the clearance lifted by 23 per cent.
At sales end, 76 of the 100 rams found new homes, topping at $4600 and averaging $1141.
Pepperton's strong Lambplan performance levels, which were well above breed and industry-wide averages, was recognition the stud deserved.
Every ram offered was above 200 on the Carcase Plus index, while the 64 Poll Dorsets ranked up to 168.5 on the new TCP index and the 38 White Suffolks ranked up to 161.
Stud principals Roger and Dianne Trewick offered 10 (seven Poll Dorsets and three White Suffolks) of the very best from the offering as "stud quality elites" to lead each breed draft.
With buyers from four states entering a bidding war for these top elite lots in the catalogue, the sale high of $4600 was achieved for a Poll Dorset ram, while the top White Suffolk rams fetched $4200.
Mr Trewick welcomed the improved competition and prices; with the Poll Dorset rams averaging $1077 and the White Suffolks $1228.
"That increased demand is a reflection of the current buoyant state of the lamb industry, which has been a great thing for us, and the future of the industry," he said.
Max Whyte and Gail Cremasco, Brimfield studs at Kendenup, WA started the sale off on a positive note with a winning $3000 phone bid on the lot one Poll Dorset, Pepperton 180115Tw.
Besides excellent phenotype, it had outstanding figures across the board culminating in a C+ index of 230, a TCP index of 151.4, and a LEQ index of 143.
The $4600 top-priced ram at lot five was a replacement, Pepperton 180339, a late August-drop ram sired by Bruan 170146.
The Trewicks originally planned to keep this youngster, but due to the level of pre-sale enquiry, they decided to offer it while retaining a semen interest.
It had outstanding figures, including 0.35 for Bwt, 10.6 for Wwt, 16.9 for Pwwt, a massive 5.1 for Pemd, 5.38 for LMY and -0.4 for Pfat, culminating in indices of 243 for C+, 161.8 for LEQ, and 168.5 for TCP.
Leigh Hartwig, Ivadene stud, Greta teamed up with Craig Wilson, Wagga Wagga, the new owner of the Kentish Downs stud to place the successful bid.
"The ram was bought in partnership because this particular animal has the genetic qualities we are both looking for," Mr Hartwig said.
He runs a 330-head stud ewe flock and said he was only interested in premium genetics when purchasing new sires for his stud breeding program.
"We produce top-quality rams with the capacity to pass on their performance and carcase attributes to commercial breeders enabling them to produce top lambs for trade and export markets," he said.
"We have top-end genetics and the ram we targeted here today is a great genetic out-cross for us.
Commercial buyer Gerard Keogh, Mountain Creek, NSW was back again for the third time in a row as the biggest volume buyer.
Once the top-end heat went out of the Poll Dorset draft, he purchased 10 high-performance Poll Dorsets, paying to a top of $1000 and averaging an outstanding value $840.
Matthew Ryan, Colbinabbin, Victoria was another strong commercial bidder on the Poll Dorset draft, purchasing eight to an $1100 top, averaging $863.
The White Suffolks followed the Poll Dorsets and had a star lot to kick off proceedings in the 38 strong draft.
It was a partnership between Gemini Prime Lamb Sires at Werneth, Victoria and Bundara Downs at Bordertown, SA who paid $4200 for the top price White Suffolk ram
Gemini manager Craig Mitchell said he had never been to Pepperton before, but that once he saw the figures of this ram he "knew I had to get in the car and go and see him".
"We were particularly impressed with his meat-eating traits as well as his growth figures, feeling it made him an impressive and slightly different animal," he said.
"He will be a high-performance sire, but only used selectively with ewes handpicked for him.
"Our plans are to make use of not just his meat traits, but also his low birthweight and high growth rates.
Like the Poll Dorsets, there was also improved commercial producer demand as the White Suffolks averaged $1228, $151 above the Poll Dorset average of $1077, and up a massive $354 on last year's White Suffolk average.
The most prominent commercial buyers of White Suffolks were A and C Torpy Pty Ltd, Newlyn, Victoria with nine rams to $1200, averaging $1044, and Meacham Contracting Pty Ltd, Nathalia, Victoria with eight rams to $1500, averaging $1113.
The Pepperton Poll Dorsets are part of a gene pool stretching back 76 years to a Dorset Horn stud founded by Mr Trewick's father in 1943.
He said they now run about 400 Poll Dorset breeding ewes and 150 White Suffolks.
