Wheetelande’s fabulous finale
If you can choose an ideal time to exit anything in life, it is best to time it when on top. For Bob and
Idrienne Neill, 2016 was their year of choice, suiting their future life choices. It happened to coincide
with a great season and an exceptionally buoyant prime lamb industry, so their decision to disperse
the very successful Wheetelande White Suffolk stud was perfectly timed.
Last Tuesday (4th October) saw their final on-property ram sale at Farrell Flat with just their final ewe
offering to go later this month.
They will leave a void for their many regular prime lamb producing clients but several seedstock
producers made buying decisions at their earlier mixed age ewe dispersal to attempt to fill that void.
In this, Wheetelande’s 15th annual ram sale, the loyal clientele they have built up were back in force,
and when combined with a few opportunist first time buyers they pushed the average up $12
beyond last year’s cracking sale while also clearing 7 more rams. With 40 registered bidders, all 108
rams offered were sold to a $4000 top and averaged $1374. It was a good result all round with a
strong top end, yet value in the later lots allowing all buying budgets to participate.
Twelve select rams were offered at the start of the catalogue and sold as single lots with the balance
sold in ‘pick of the pair’ pens of two.
These first twelve averaged $2608 with the first ram offered topping the sale at $4000. Wheetelande
158660Tw was purchased by regular top end buyer Nanette Simpson through Landmark Jamestown
for her very high fertility flock of around 50 ewes from which she breeds her own prime lamb sires.
The ram was wonderfully balanced and muscled, boasting the highest Lambplan performance figures
that culminated in a Carcase Plus index of 213. In those figures were the highest Post Weaning
Weight EBV of 18.3 and second highest figure of 141.1 for Lamb Eating Quality. Nanette later added
W158556 for $3100.
Peter Clough, buying through Peter Milling & Co, Dubbo connected via phone to successfully bid on
W158377Tw at $3800 for his NSW stud program, the second top price in the sale.
Brian and Troy Fischer, Ashmore White Suffolks, Wasleys rebounded from the devastating Pinery fire
last November when they lost all their older breeding ewes to purchase so strongly at
Wheetelande’s first stage ewe dispersal in January. They were able to hold a very successful ram sale
in September with their 2015 drop rams that were saved from the fire. The Fischers purchased two
rams from this sale, W158379Tw and W158676Tw, both at $2600, the latter being the second
highest indexed ram in the sale. The Fischers are planning a flock ram sale at Wheetelande next
year.
Elders Jamestown clients have provided a major component of buying support at this sale ever since
then branch manager Richard Amey discovered the quality on offer. Since retirement from that
position to enter the game as a producer he has still supported this sale. This year he purchased six
more rams at $800 each for the Almond Grove Props property he manages.
Jack Coleman now holds the reins at Elders Jamestown and registered six buying accounts, while
three other branch clients undertook their own bidding.
One undisclosed client amongst them was the biggest volume buyer with 16 rams from $900 to
$1000 to put a strong backbone in the sale. Collectively the 10 Elders Jamestown clients purchased
51 rams, which was 46% of the offering.
Also prominent amongst them was Merv Robinson, who has been a very important supporter of
Wheetelande genetics for a long time. He purchased nine rams to $1800 and at a $1467 average.
TR, LP & RJ Ellis with five rams from $1000 to $1400, Butterick Bros with three from $1500 to $2200
and DR Henderson Holdings P/L (four ave $1236) were other prominent Elders Jamestown clients.
Dean and Allen Siviour, both from Arno Bay on Eyre Peninsula and buying through Elders Cleve
purchased four and two rams respectively putting strong bidding competition in the first half of the
sale. They have been attending Wheetelande for many years and averaged $1850 and $1500.
Other prominent buyers included Andrew Jaeschke, Lacharily Pty Ltd through Elders Burra (five rams
to $1800 and ave $1420), Elders Roseworthy A/C Glynnard (five rams to $1500 and ave $1180), RS
Ballantyne through Elders Gladstone (two rams ave $2500) an MS Behn & Co through Landmark
Riverton (four rams ave $1200).
Sale Summary
2016
2015
Offered
108
102
Sold
108
101
Top
$4000
$5000
Average
$1374
$1362
Sale Agents: Elders Burra
Auctioneers: Tom Penna and Tony Wetherall
Pictured with the $4000 top priced ram at the final Wheetelande White Suffolk ram sale are
vendor Bob Neill, Wheetelande, purchaser Nanette Simpson, Jamestown, and Conor Lamond
representing sale agents, Elders Burra.
This group of buyers accounted for 49 of the rams sold at the final Wheetelande ram sale at
Farrell Flat last Tuesday (4th Oct). They are Andrew and Lachlan Jaeschke, Lacharily P/L, Hilltown
(5 rams); Jack Coleman, Elders Jamestown (29 rams for 6 clients); Daniel, Henry & Merv
Robinson, Jamestown (9 rams); & Dean and Allen Siviour, Arno Bay (6 rams).
Pictured after the final Wheetelande ram sale are key participants over the years; Trevor Ellis,
Richard Amey, Wheetelande principals Idrienne & Bob Neill, Trent Thomas, Robert Butterick &
Graham Coleman.