PA 2012 Performance Tested Ram Sale Results!

Dorper Rams - Sold As Bidders "Choice" of Lot 20 ($650) & Lot 21 ($775)

Yes, we made it to the 2012 Pennsylvania Performance Tested Ram Lamb & Meat Goat Buck Sale on Saturday. The sale is held at the PDA Livestock Evaluation Center in Pennsylvania Furnace, just outside of State College, PA.  We didn't stay for the meat goat buck sale and we didn't come home with a new ram either.  We aren't really in "need" of a ram, but it's good to go and keep track of the prices and statistics on the rams each year ..... we did get in on the bidding for one of the Junior Dorset rams, but dropped out.  Prices have gone up and there is a minimum $300 bid on the rams.  Still that would be a great bargain - 2 rams were "walked" and only 4 went for that price.   Look at the Sale Catalog & photos to match the Lot Numbers pictured to the winning bids below. 

Senior Texel (L) - Lot#10 - $550 --- Senior Dorset (R) - Lot#1 - $950

As far as breeding for meat sires goes, more breeders are placing Dorpers, White Dorpers, Katadin, & Texels into the ram test program.  To illustrate the differences, just look at the Senior Texel - Lot #10 & the Senior Dorset - Lot #1 above. The Texel was born on 10/30/11 & the Dorset was born on 10/2/11.  I've heard people refer to Texels as "meat wagons" and you can see it here.  Lot #12, a Junior Texel sold for $1000. 
The Junior Dorset Lot#3 - highest indexing - a triplet RR - went for $800.  The rest of the Junior Dorsets ranged from $300 to $600 & Lot#4 was walked. 
The highest priced ram in the sale was Suffolk Lot #25, a twin RR ram tied for the highest rate of gain in the test @ 1.18 lb/day.   Suffolks ranged from $500 to $1,100 for the top Suffolk #25. 
The top Senior Dorper Lot #17 went for $900 and the Junior Dorpers ranged from $625 to $800.  White Dorper Lot # 34 sold for $750 (Lot #33 was scratched before the auction). 
The top indexing Katadin, Lot #27, a triplet RR ram, sold for $850.  The other 3 Katadins ranged from $300 to $800. 
The 3 Polypay rams were offered as a choice of all three at once.  Lots #41 & 43 went to the top bidder for $625 each and the third one, Lot #42 went separately for $600. 
The Shopshire ram, Lot #35 went for $700 after active bidding.  We were also interested in him - he had the 4th highest weight /day gain, but there were some very interested Shrop breeders there! 
The Merino sold for $300 and the Southdown was "walked". 
Thanks to all of the purebred consignors who bring these rams to test so we all can benefit from buying the best of the performance tested rams!   They don't all make the cut for the sale.

Merino, 3 Polypays, Shropshire, & Southdown Before Auction