MC for the auction Craig Campbell, president of the Hawke's Bay section of North Island Black and Coloured Sheep Association, thanks auctioneer Tony Proudfoot, the vendors and buyers for making the sale a success. Photo / Dave Murdoch
MC for the auction Craig Campbell, president of the Hawke's Bay section of North Island Black and Coloured Sheep Association, thanks auctioneer Tony Proudfoot, the vendors and buyers for making the sale a success. Photo / Dave Murdoch
Tucked away in the Dannevirke A&P Showgrounds shearing facility a unique sale of black and coloured sheep took place.
Run by the North Island Black and Coloured Sheep Association, it was attended by breeders and buyers from as far away as Hunterville, the Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay and Manawatū.
The NorthIsland sale committee was made up of a representative from each branch who were all keen instigators in re-establishing the once popular NI sale: Craig Campbell from Hawke’s Bay, Wendy Allison from Wairarapa and Lynley Coffey from Manawatū.
There has not been a sale of black and coloured sheep in the North Island for at least a decade in local memory and when the last one was held it was at Manfeild.
This multi-cross bred two-tooth ram from the Coffey Trust also cracked the $1100 mark. Photo / Dave Murdoch
The national association holds its annual sale every year in the South Island where it is strongest and this year the southern North Island branches decided they would trial a sale of their own.
“It was sort of like a fishing expedition because you did not know what you were going to get,” Allison said.
These registered pure bred ewe lambs from the WJ and JC Coffey Trust (26) earned a top $160 and Taryn Thomson lamb (25) reached above the average at $110. Photo / Dave Murdoch
The committee decided Dannevirke’s A&P Showgrounds shearing venue had the perfect facilities and their initiative was rewarded when they received 48 entries - mostly ewes and ewe lambs but some rams with impressive credentials.
After viewing and veterinarian checks, the sale started at 11.45am, auctioneer Tony Proudfoot, who gave his services free, extracting some pretty good early prices for the best ewes ranging up to $200. Quite a few however did not reach the reserves owners set but were mostly sold after negotiation.
Auctioneer Tony Proudfoot said buyers picked “the eyes out of the flock” and Allison said buyers were mostly after specific genetics to enhance their flock.
This Corriedale commercial pure bred two-tooth ram sold for a good price of $500. Photo / Dave Murdoch
Excitement built as the seven rams went under the hammer, with the opening price for a mixed-age commercial purebred Romney from Kyle Brock reaching $200.
This Corriedale two-tooth commercial pure bred ewe from Sue Dawson fetched a top price of $160. Photo / Dave Murdoch
The second ram was a two-tooth commercial purebred Corriedale from the WJ and LC Coffey Trust which reached $500, the same vendor selling their remaining rams respectively for $300 and topping the sale with $1450 for a two-tooth Corriedale/Romney cross, following it with the final $1100 for a multibreed two-tooth.
The organisers were very pleased with their inaugural sale and expect after talking with buyers and vendors that the sale will be repeated with improvements next year.
Dave Murdoch is a part-time photojournalist based in Dannevirke. For the last 10 years he has covered any community story telling good news about the district.
