By Johan Norval
The neighbouring studs of De Put and Toomfontein Dohnes, owned by Koos Vosloo (the current chairman of SA Stud Book) and Ernst and Peet van Rooyen, respectively, acquired the most expensive ram, JL 2.201, from All-in-One Crux Dohnes for R60 000.
This ram is the progeny of the renowned Fireball (WW 8.317), which White Wools Dohnes sold for R250 000 during the Covid 19 pandemic. Fireball’s sire was Nickerball from Frans and Andries Marx (FEM Dohnes), which has achieved the highest price of R335 000 for a Dohne ram to date.
After the auction, Bekker expressed his gratitude to God and his supporters on social media.
“The circumstances in agriculture and the livestock industry are probably at their lowest level in many years. And yet there are always those who encourage each other and tackle life with faith.”
Despite the economic pressures faced by buyers and the adverse production conditions, the ram average at Bekker’s February auction was marginally higher than in the same period in 2024.
He says he does not support outlier prices at auctions. “The flock farmer who buys his four to eight rams yearly remains the backbone of a stud breeder’s buyer list and is just as important as the top-price buyers.”
He separated his auction results into the 21 highest prices and the remainder. The average for these 21 stud rams was R21 047.62. The remaining 57 rams, part of the 100% sales rate, sold for an average of R7 333.33. The average price for the 78 rams stood at R11 025, compared to February 2024’s average of R10 750 when 69 rams were offered. The average prices for the non-pregnant two-tooth ewes were R1 803, R1 773 for four-tooth ewes, and R1 585 for old ewes.
All-in-One Crux Dohnes’ next auction is scheduled for 9 October.
BKB Cradock conducted the auction, with JP Marais serving as the auctioneer.
