Vortex rams sell to $3400 as buyers travel from NSW, Gippsland

In an era where records are being broken across the industry, the Goorambat stud in northern Victoria sold its complete draft of Charollais rams to $3400, while 54 White Suffolk rams sold to $2400 twice.

The White Suffolks averaged $1583, while the Charollais portion averaged $2065.

"It's the most sheep we've had in the sale and it was certainly our highest average," Vortex White Suffolk & Charollais stud principal Daniel Hooper said.

Buyers from as far as Gippsland and the Riverina in NSW attended the sale to select their future sires, with the stud's Charollais draft attracting the most interest among buyers.

The stud introduced the breed to its sales in 2014 and as opposed to a purebred ram, it offers a Charollais/White Suffolk-cross alternative to offer the ideal meat sheep, according to Mr Hooper.

"We're not really into the purebreds but we think we can have better ram and improve the breed by having a bit of White Suffolk in the Charollais," Mr Hooper said.

"Everyone wants something different and the Charollais are in hot demand and there are not a lot of them around.

"Last year we couldn't breed enough and there was a fair bit of interest after the sale so bidding was very competitive for them."

A large majority of the rams were bought by clients in the Shepparton and Benalla districts, while six online buyers via AuctionsPlus bought rams to $2300, destined for places including Culcairn, NSW, and Tallangatta.

The sale-topping ram, Lot 79, was bought by second-time clients Peter and Kacee Artridge, Mullengandra, NSW, who paid $3400 for the Charollais sire a year after buying nine rams from the stud's 2020 sale.

"His statistics were very good and he stood up nicely; he's a nice square ram," Mr Artridge said.

"We looked at his growth rates and his TCP index and he was the highest ram there and while his birth weights might be a bit low, sometimes you have to question how accurate those figures are.

"The figures are only a guide but this ram was straight and had a nice rump on him so he will do us well."

The ram's genetic make-up included 75 per cent Charollais, and is expected to be joined in February 2022.

"We're going to join up to what we call our B grade or mob two ewes and we're going to infuse some Charollais into that group of Coopworth composite ewes," Mr Artridge said.

"We've had a bit of an experiment with Charollais here and have used them as terminals, so we're interested to see how they will go with a bit of an infusion with the ewes to get a higher-yielding carcase."

Return Gippsland buyers Tony and Jane McNeilly, Seaspray, were among the volume buyers and bought seven rams including the two sale-topping White Suffolks for $2400 twice and two Charollais rams.

The McNeillys bought the first four pens of the sale.

"The White Suffolks we put over Dohne ewes and just last year we started keeping some of those first-cross White Suffolk ewes and we plan to put the Charollais over them," Mrs McNeilly said.

"Vortex offers very good quality rams.

"They do very well and we like the way they go about things and they're not prepped up because they're well-bred genuine rams and what you see is what you get."

Among the other volume buyers, Yencken Pastoral, Mansfield, bought 10 rams and Rodwells Benalla agent Dale Buitenhuis bought 18 rams to $3100 for various clients across north-east Benalla district.

Representing agent Rodwells Benalla auctioneer Adam Roberts said it was an "outstanding" result for Vortex.

"The overall average worked out to be just a shade under $1900," Mr Roberts said.

"I think the mix Vortex has got there with the Charollais/White Suffolk-cross is a great combination and growing in popularity with the strong following."