A NEW national record of $240,000 for an Australian White ram was set at the 9^th annual Tattykeel sale in New South Wales today.

The 16 month-old sire Tattykeel ‘Platinum’ ET 210184 was bought at the stud’s sale at Branxton Park, Black Springs, by the Elite Syndicate made up of four NSW studs.

The syndicate included Sans-Souci stud at Molong, the Regal stud at Inverell, the Bungarley stud at Tarcutta and the Doonkami stud at Yetman. The losing bidder was the Red Tank Stud at Nyngan. Today’s top ram price easily exceeded the sale’s 2021 top price of $165,000.

Sans-Souci stud principal Joe Pederick said the hope was that the outstanding 122kg ram would help the studs be recognised as elite Australian White breeders.

He said Tattykeel retained 250 straws of the 122kg ram for in-flock use and the right to collect another 250 straws, but the syndicate would not be able to sell semen from the ram.

“We’re over the moon mate, we’re extremely excited.”

The syndicate also bought another ram, lot 225, for $40,000.

The $26,000 Tattykeel ewe sold in the 2022 sale.

The sale also set an Australian record price for an Australian White or meat breed ewe, when Lot 4 was purchased for $26,000 by Ben Moldrich from the Shiroi Hitsuji Stud from Parkes, NSW. The ewe is scanned in-lamb to Lot 21264 and comes with 20 embryos to ram 200085, the sire of Platinum.

Tattykeel principal Graham Gilmore said the $240,000 is among the elite group of the best rams bred by the stud, including the $165,000 ram sold last year.

“They’re absolute elite sheep.”

Sale grossed $4.9 million

Mr Gilmore said the Tattykeel sale conducted by QPL Rural and interfaced with AuctionsPlus grossed $4.9 million. The 30 stud rams offered sold to $240,000 and averaged $42,666. The 306 flock rams sold to a top of $45,000 and averaged $8704. The in-lamb ewes topped at a record $26,000 and averaged $6677, and the unjoined ewes made to $5000 and averaged $4047.

Mr Gilmore said the stud deliberately put more sheep in the sale this year to bring the average price back for buyers.

“We’re all farmers ourselves and realists and we want them at money that is sensible.”

Mr Gilmore said there is a general change in the industry, with more buyers from southern Australia buying sheep.

“We had more people out of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania where they’re looking at a change out of stronger wool sheep, because you can’t shear something that you are throwing the wool away from.

“So your options are very limited in what you can do and what breeds you can turn to.”

He said Australian Whites are suited to higher rainfall areas.

“We’re not suggesting they are as strong in the feet as Coopworths, but if you can manage the feet you will make a lot more money out of them than you will with a Coopworth.”