THE first sale of Australian White flock rams and commercial ewes at Mudgee gained an impressive following of some 60 people when 14 rams topped at $1550 and 35 ewes to $250 at auction during the Binda and Meriden studs’ ram sale at Mudgee showground last Friday.
Flock rams were presented by Josh and Monique Pointon, Meriden stud, Oberon, and Michael and Toni Conole, Binda stud, Binda.
Top money for flock rams was $1550 paid twice by new breeders Ryan and Lauren Bywater, “The Hill”, Koorawatha, for two Meriden rams, one March , the other October 2014 drop.
The Bywaters are “tree changer” having moved from Greystanes to small acreage at Lyndhurst in 2012.
The couple have had their eyes on the breed for some time and are now in a position to venture into full-scale breeding after purchasing 18 hectares at Koorawatha.
No strangers to the showring, the Bywater’s Backwater Square Meater stud exhibited the grand champion female at Sydney Royal last year.
Mr and Mrs Bywater were keen on the pens of August 2015 drop F2 and F3 commercial ewes offered by Warwick Armstrong, “Ferndale”, Oberon, and paid top money of $250 a head for the first pen of 12.
They also paid $1200 for a Binda ram and another 23 Ferndale ewes for $210 each post sale.
Mr Bywater said the rams and ewes would go straight out to work when they arrived home.
Neville Lynch, Botobolar near Mudgee, paid $1400 each for two Binda rams while Jill Williams, “Eaglehawk”, Milkers Flat, bought two Meriden and one Binda ram while paying to $1300 for Meriden sire.
Barb and Doug Green of Mudgee, paid $1300 for a Binda ram while Edward Pilley, “Ullamalla”, Hill End, paid $1200 each for a Meriden and Binda ram.
The sale was conducted by Bowyer and Livermore, Bathurst, and Landmark, Mudgee, with Todd Clements (B&L) the auctioneer.