Signed off on on Wednesday Mr Pye says they plan to run the Uardry flock - including 740 stud ewes bought at the Uardry dispersal - seperately to their existing Calga Dohne flock.

Together they will lamb 2240 stud ewes in 2013, which is thought to make it one of the biggest Dohne ram breeding flocks in the country.

The plan is for the Uardry prefix and stud number (no. 30) to be transfered to the Pyes, although Mr Pye says they are waiting to hear the results on this.

Meanwhile, the Uardry flock will continue with essentially the same management and direction as it had at "Uardry", Hay.

Mr Pye said Jason Southwell, of McMichael and Associates, will be kept on as the Uardry stud classer, as will Allan Clarke as in the role of assessor and Mr Southwell will also take on the position of studmaster of both studs.

Mr Pye said the purchase of the Uardry prefix also included the Uardry client list and classing data.

Of the 740 unjoined ewes bought at the Uardry dispersal - purchased for the Pyes by James Lilburne of Australian Topstock, Wagga Wagga - 300 have been artificially inseminated to six different Uardry sires, including the Uardry stud sire, UD8.270, Galga Dohnes bought privately in 2009 for $22,000.

All this semen is from leading Uardry sires which had been collected with the intention for use in the Uardry stud by its previous owners and was purchased by the Pyes as part of the dispersal.

The remainder of the 740 ewes have been naturally joined to Uardry-blood sires.

Mr Pye said the operation would offer its first draft of Uardry rams at the 2014 on-property sale along with the Calga draft.

The Uardry trademark and stud name and number for the Merinos, as well as the Charles Mills trademark were not included in this deal.