A Dormer breeder, who is currently actively engaged in herd building, paid the highest price of R60 000 for a pregnant ewe at the Vat 5 production auction.

By Johan Norval

Duncan Cairns of Yield Agri Investments at Bloemfontein is the buyer of the ewe that is the most expensive ewe of the breed so far this year, including on the national auction. The average prices of the pregnant ewes and ewes with lambs were R12 240 and R16 500 respectively.

The seller is Johan Barnard of Johanri Dormers at Lindley. His ram (lot 11) was also the most expensive ram at the auction. Simon Lindsay of Kroonstad paid R32 000 for him. The average price of the stud rams was R14 738.

The members of the Vat 5 seller group are Barnard, Dirk Heyman Dormers, Marco Klopper (Jakkalsdans), Henk Pretorius (Thaba Kwena) and Colene van der Merwe (Kalkvley).

Also read: First auction of Welpic Dormers in own auction complex

Barnard markets his animals at his annual production auction in February and at the auction of the 4×4 Dormers seller group.

Henk Kirchner of OVK, who presented the auction on 27 September in the Afridome in Parys, says the average price of the commercial ewe lambs was R2 975, and that of the commercial non-pregnant ewes R3 176. The average prices of commercial ewes with lambs and commercial pregnant ewes were R8 000 and R4 264 respectively.

The auctioneer was Jakkie Nel.