Tattykeel Australian White stud has once again proved the breed is continuing to go from strength to strength, with a ram reaching an eye-watering $240,000 at Branxton Park, Black Springs on Wednesday last week.
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Describe by the Gilmore family as the 'best of the best', Tattykeel Platinum ET 210184 set the record for the highest price ever paid for a meat breed sheep.
In a mesmerising showcase at the birthplace of the breed and in front of a packed house, the ram captured Australia-wide attention and smashed last year's record of $165,000 set by Tattykeel 'White Gold' ET 200131.
The hammer fell on the impressive sire prospect after fierce competition both in the selling shed and online. He was bought by the Elite Syndicate which included Sans-Souci stud, Molong, Bungarley stud, Tarcutta, Regal stud, Inverell and Doonkami stud, Yetman.
Platinum was one of 30 elite stud rams sold for an impressive $42,667 average.
It took 4.5 hours for the 646 Australian White sheep offered by the Gilmore family of the Tattykeel Australian White stud to go under the hammer in the largest draft of sheep to ever sell in the country to date.
In all, 306 flock rams sold to a top of $45,000 and averaged $8704.
The female portion of the catalogue resulted in 130 scanned-in-lamb ewes selling to a $26,000 record-high and average of $6677, and 21 unjoined stud ewes sold to a top of $5000 and averaged $4047.
In total 487 sheep sold at auction to gross $4.9 million. Majority of the passed in ewes sold while the rams were still selling.
Tattykeel's Graham Gilmore was blown away by the sale result.
"To back up after such an explosive sale last year is amazing," he said.
"We put more rams and ewes in this year's sale to bring the prices back, but it has been a massive sale."
Mr Gilmore was very thankful to his family and those who helped with the sale, and the producers who had supported the breed.
"You don't have sales like this without the people who support us," he said.
PLATINUM TO MAKE AN IMPACT
The $240,000 record-ram 'Platinum' is set to make an impact across the state as the Elite Syndicate utilises him across their artificial insemination and embryo transfer programs.
Sired by Tattykeel 200085 and out of Tattykeel 171377, the April-drop record-breaking ram weighed 122 kilograms and was backed by a dominate show ring performance including being sashed grand champion Australian White ram and interbreed champion shedding breed ram at the 2022 NSW State Sheep Show, Dubbo.
Speaking on behalf of the syndicate, Dan Lustenberger, Bungarley Australian Whites, Tarcutta, said they formed to have the "buying power" to ensure they got the ram which would take their studs to the next level.
"All four studs have been in the breed for a while, and we want to be seen as the second tier to Tattykeel which buys the best sheep," he said.
"He is the best sheep in the market and we are all trying to move forward and keep in front of the game," Dave Stewart, Regal Australian Whites, Inverell added. "We wanted to buy the best sheep we could to breed the best."
"This will flow through to our clients too - they can have confidence in us that we are buying the best, breeding the best and they will know we have the quality," Mr Lustenberger said.
"He is everything the breed is looking for, he is easy to use and he will be an impact sire."
Tattykeel had retained 250 straws for in-flock use, while the stud also retained the right to collect another 250.
The Elite Syndicate also teamed up to purchase Tattykeel ET 211051 for $40,000. An August-drop class winner from both Sydney Royal and the NSW State Sheep Show, he was by Tattykeel 200166.
"He is a solid ram, and a different line of pedigree for us all," Mr Lustenberger said.
Tattykeel 'Rhodium' 210084, a 110kg full-brother to the $240,000 record-ram, sold for $85,000 to the Stewart family of Regal stud, Inverell.
The second-top price of $90,000 was paid by Laurie Chittleborough, Crystal Brook stud, Bridgetown, Western Australian for Tattykeel ET 210264, a 128kg son of Tattykeel 190144, which had been used within the Gilmore's flock throwing progeny with a high growth rate.
Mr Chittleborough had his eye on Tattykeel ET 210264 from the beginning, and said he had exceptional potential to produce fast-growing progeny.
"That's what every fat lamb breeder is looking for," he said. "I got the one I wanted."
The former superfine wool grower bought Tattykeel 220109 at last year's sale for $30,000, and has been very impressed with his progeny.
"Some of those lambs weighed 13 kilograms at 16 days old," he said.
"The lambs were putting on 12kg a month."
He said Tattykeel ET 210264 would be used in his AI program early next month.
Red Tank stud, Nyngan has purchased the Sydney Royal Champion ram, Tattykeel 210422, for $80,000 as well as Tattykeel 'Resilience' ET 211640, the charity ram for $45,000. All proceeds from the sale of Resilience will go to Spinal Cord Injuries Australia's Peer and Family Support Program.
RELATED READING: Tattykeel donates proceeds to Spring Cord Injuries Australia program
Queensland buyer Kym Thomas, Kahmoo Australian Whites, Cunnamulla purchased Tattykeel 210153, a 119kg April-drop son of Tattykeel Bullseye 190195, for $60,000, and an online buyer from Longford, Vic, bought Tattykeel 210670, a 124kg June-drop son of Tattykeel Remington 180208, for $65,000.
Onslow Australian Whites, Cootamundra, paid $50,000 for Tattykeel ET 21032, sired by Tattykeel 'Anzac' 200163 which sold privately for $150,000 to Western Australia last year, while Fish Creek Farms, Fish Creek, Vic paid $30,000 for Tattykeel ET 211300.
Demand for Australian White flock rams was evident as volume buyers strung together quality drafts.
Featured among the buyers list and purchasing 40 flock rams was Mathew Zimmer of Zimfam Pty Ltd, Cobar.
Making the move from Dorpers to Australian Whites, it was the third year Mr Zimmer had been active throughout the catalogue, saying "the quality at Tattykeel" keeps him coming back.
"We've tried other studs, but have been disappointed, so we keep coming back here and we have a good relationship with the Gilmores," he said.
"What drew us to the Aussie Whites was their doing ability is the same as the Dorpers, but they have better growth rates, feet and are a larger animal - they are the most important things for us.
"We have trialled their doing ability to make sure they do as well as the Dorper, and they do and did so through the drought."
Mr ZImmer said they sell the Australian White progeny over the hooks, and as they become more pure Tattykeel-blood they will endeavour to go into the red tag program to look at avenues such as the Magra and Alba brands.
"They are the Wagyu of the sheep industry, and we want to take full opportunity," he said.
Also purchasing multiple flock rams was the Doyle family, Yass, who bought 12 head.
EWES TO $26,000
The Australian White ewe record also tumbled with Tattykeel ET 210146 sold for $26,000 to Ben Moldrich from Shiroi-Hitsuji Australian White stud at Parkes. Mr Moldrich is in the process of establishing a stud, and the name Shiroi-Hitsuji is Japanese for white sheep.
He said the opportunity to purchase studstock from Tattykeel was a no brainer.
"The commitment to their breeding program is second to none," Mr Moldrich said. "They have developed a premium product that sells itself, and that's what we will strive to provide our customers in the future."
Surpassing the previous record of $21,000, the top ewe sold scanned-in-lamb (SIL) to Tattykeel 200085 and with 20 embryos by Tattykeel 210153 which sold in the sale for $60,000 to Kahmoo stud, Cunnamulla, Qld.
"From a Merino family background, I have been followed Tattykeel since my 11-year-old daughter was born," Mr Moldrich said. "I was looking for easy to handle, low maintenance sheep and Aussie Whites are it.
"I have 10 commercial ewes, and this purchase is a good foundation for the stud with the joined ewe and embryo combination."
The Gordon family of Quartz Australian White stud, Forbes, paid the second-top price of $20,000 in the ewes for Tattykeel 210386, sold with six embryos by Tattykeel 200085.
In total Quartz stud bought eight ewes along with two rams Tattykeel ET210171 and Tattykeel ET210930 for $25,000 and $20,000, respectively.
The six SIL ewes with embryo packages sold for a $17,500 average.
Volume buyers of ewes included Lake Midgeon Australian White stud, Narrandera, which purchased 11 SIL stud ewes and 43 stud ewes, and Tufara Australian White stud, Sale, Vic, which bought 17 SIL stud ewes and one stud ram.
The sale was conducted by QPL Livestock, Temora, with guest auctioneers Miles Pfitzner, Melbourne, Vic and Jack Hickey of JM Ellis and Co, Hamilton, Vic.
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