Southdown Sheep Society, NZ

SECOND ON-FARM: Tracey and Andrew Powdrell (pictured) with some of the Turiroa Tiger rams that will be up for auction on their on-farm sale on December 12. The couple are rapt with the quality of their up to 115 lineup, across four varieties.

Turiroa Stud near Wairoa will host their second on-farm terminal ram sale on December 12. They will have up to 115 big, meaty Southdowns, Tigers, Suftex and Belsuftex rams for sale by auction.

This year, Andrew and Tracey Powdrell have the first of their Beltex cross progeny available for sale.

“Beltex are renowned for a high bone to meat ratio and increased yielding percentages,” Andrew said.

“They are moderate framed meat machines with a huge loin and back end.”

Turiroa Belsuftex Rams comprise 25 percent Beltex, 75 percent Suftex.

“We were looking for something to thicken up the Suftex and get them maturing earlier,” Andrew said.

“The cross has worked very well, with the added advantage of a black face.”

He said the Beltex cross genetics had exceeded their expectations.

“They are born small and hardy and hit the ground running. The muscling doesn’t develop until the lambs are a few weeks old.  “We have no lambing trouble with them whatsoever. “Even the Belsuftex ewe lambs that lambed as hoggets were fine,” Andrew said. “The feet have been great too with no issues. We see these Belsuftex rams as leaving early maturing progeny off the hills at 15-17 kg carcase weight. ”

“We will continue to blend the Beltex genetics into our Suftex to thicken them up and we can’t wait to see how the progeny perform out on the farms in different environments.”

Turiroa will also have Suftex, Southdown and Tigers, a Southdown, South Suffolk cross.

“The Tigers perform well because they have the best of the Southdown characteristics of a deep, meaty body with the advantage of the brown face for easy identification among the progeny. They have lots of Hybrid Vigour and fertility with many clients reporting higher scanning percentages in their early mob than their m/a mob which is pleasing to see the fertility come through.”

The Powdrells have been mating their stud ewe hoggets for 20 years and built up a really good fertility in the flock.

“We are looking forward to catching up with old and hopefully some new clients on December 12.

“We are really pleased with the strong team of rams we have coming forward to sale, with our key criteria of early maturing and good feet really evident in the rams.”

The sale starts at 11am on sale day.

Visitors from North Otago (from left) Martin Parsons and Ross Nimmo look at Romney and Southdown rams on sale at the Merrydowns stud.

Although it is only a couple of weeks into the Otago and Southland ram sales season, early indicators are the numbers are looking good for buyers and sellers.

Blair and Sally Robertson, of Merrydowns Romney and Southdown Stud, and the Otago Southland Coopworth sale in Gore were some of the first off the auction block last week.

PGG Wrightsons livestock genetics representative Callum McDonald said the ram sales season had just started.

‘‘However, indicators are showing it will be strong,’’ Mr McDonald said.

‘‘The rams are good quality, with good performance and are well sought after.

‘‘Merrydowns’ average was $1585 for Romney rams and $1167 for Southdown rams.’’

Fourth-generation stud sheep breeder Blair Robertson, from the Merrydowns stud at Waikoikoi, enjoyed a strong on-farm sale in West Otago last week for a catalogue of 229 Romney and Southdown rams.

The top priced Coopworth ram at the Gore sale last week was sold by George and Fraser Fletcher for $2300 and the average price was $1425.

‘‘They are good rams that ticked the boxes and people have the confidence to pay the money.’’

Carrfields livestock agent Roger Keach said while it was early in the ram sale season for Southland and Otago, a record was set for a Dorset Down ram in Cheviot last week.

‘‘It was offered by Colin Smith, of Bankhead Stud, Rangiora, and bought by Ian Stevenson, of The Gums Partnership, of Cheviot, for $17,500,’’ Mr Keach said.

He said the record price for selling a ram was $41,000, set more than 25 years ago.

A top price of $8500 was achieved at the Merrydowns Romney and Southdown ram sale last week.

Jack Robertson (left), of Merrydowns stud, chats with Trevor McCall, of Charlton.

Mr Robertson was pleased with the prices at the 11th on-farm sale at Waikoikoi last Tuesday.

‘‘It was a successful sale.

‘‘The average prices was $1425 overall, and the top ram, a Romney, was $8500, which went to Dean and Fiona Addenbrooke, of Ruakiwi, Tuatapere,’’ he said.

‘‘He was a very good quality ram, well balanced, with beautiful wool and good performance data.’’

The price received compared favourably with last year’s top selling ram, a Southdown, which sold for $7000.

There were 70-80 buyers registered, which was on par with previous years, and 85 Southdown rams and 144 Romney rams offered.

The Gore Ram Fair will be held at the Gore showgrounds on January 21 and 22.

PGG Wrightson upper South Island genetics rep Simon Eddington

“Good rams”‘ remain unsold after last Friday’s Canterbury A&P Association elite ram and ewe sale.

PGG Wrightson upper South Island genetics rep Simon Eddington said while the sheep industry had been enjoying a resurgence, quality rams were proving hard to sell.

“Everybody’s positive at the moment, with the lift in lamb prices, but it just doesn’t translate into sales of rams” Eddington said.

“It will take a couple of years before we start to see a lift in ewe numbers and more demand for rams”.

More than 200 rams went under the hammer at Canterbury Agricultural Park on Friday, down slightly on last year, and about one-third remained unsold.

The day’s top price of $12,500 went to a Suffolk ram from Collie Hills Partnership, of South Canterbury, while Chris Medlicott, of Clifton Downs Stud, of Hook, near Waimate, received $11,000 for a Southdown ram.

A Romney ram from Irvine Farms, at Brightwater, near Nelson, received $5800.

“It was hard going. Really good rams sold well, as they always do” Eddington said.

“But there were some good rams which didn’t get a bid, which is disappointing because the farmers put a lot of work into preparing them and then end up taking their rams home”.

He said on-farm ram sales were having an impact, but the biggest factor was the relatively low number of ewes around compared with an abundance of stud rams.

“Buyers are very selective in what they’re buying and they can afford to be because there’s still lots of rams coming forward.

“Farmers are having a good season, but you don’t just get one or two seasons out of a ram, you usually get four to five years”.