UPDATED 2:40pm Wednesday September 28
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 a mesmerising showcase at the birthplace of the breed, 30 elite stud rams sold to the record top price of $240,000 and averaged $42,667, while 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 going under the hammer.
FROM EARLIER
History has just been made at the 9th annual Tattykeel Australian White Sale, with a ram reaching an eye-watering $240,000 at Branxton Park, Black Springs.
It is the highest price ever paid for a meat breed sheep.
In front of a packed house, the ram, Tattykeel 'Platinum' ET210184, smashed last year's record of $165,000 set by Tattykeel White Gold.
He was one of 30 elite stud rams sold for a $42,667 average.
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 includes Sans-Souci stud, Molong, Bungarley stud, Tarcutta, Regal stud, Inverell and Doonkami stud, Yetman.
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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.
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.
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 Camden Hill Grazing, Bridgetown, Western Australian for Tattykeel ET 210264, a 128kg son of Tattykeel 190144.
Red Tank stud, Nyngan has purchased Tattykeel 210422 for $80,000 as well as Tattykeel 'Resilience' ET211640, 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.
Kahmoo Australian Whites, Cunnamulla, Qld purchased Tattykeel 210153 for $60,000, and an online buyer from Longford, Vic, bought Tattykeel 210670 for $65,000.
Onslow Australian Whites, Cootamundra, paid $50,000 for Tattykeel ET21032, while Fish Creek Farms, Fish Creek, Vic paid $30,000 for Tattykeel ET211300.
Around 400 Australian White flock rams are still to sell.
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.
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 a Cunnamulla buyer, Qld
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.
The sale is being conducted by QPL Livestock, Temora, with guest auctioneers Miles Pfitzner, Melbourne, Vic and Jack Hickey of JM Ellis and Co, Hamilton, Vic.
