Just before his on-property auction, Longwood Poll Merino stud principal Kevin Hynam had to have a quiet word with the auctioneer about a potential bidder.
Not because he was anticipating trouble, but he wanted to give Elders Euroa auctioneer Joe Allen the "heads up" about 12-year Lachlan O'Brien, Avenel.
"We had to tell the auctioneer there is a young fella here today and he is legitimate," Mr Hynam said.
"He is bidding, he's got the card and it's legitimate."
Lachlan ended up buying lot 23 for $2750.
And he said young Lachlan, whose parents Shane and Belinda Stevens have a 182-hectare property at Avenel, was back out a Hynam the day after the auction.
Mr Hynam said Lachlan was helping with crutching cross-bred lambs.
Lachlan said he initially came to the sale to gain experience, not really intending to buy a ram.
"I registered and ended up calling Dad and saying 'there's a really good ram here, am I allowed to buy it?," Lachlan said.
"He said 'yeah, sure'."
Lachlan picked out lot 23, sired by Trigger Vale 200530.
The May 2022-drop ram had a 17.3 micron fleece, a standard deviation of 2.9 per cent, co-efficient of variation of 16.7pc and comfort factor of 99.4pc.
The ram weighed 88.5 kilograms, had a post-weaning weight of 6.61kg, a yearling weight of 9.30kg, a yearling eye-muscle depth of 0.79 millimetres and a yearling fat measurement of -0.47mm.
He said he liked the ram's wool quality, its feet, body structure and teeth.
The family, bought a farm at Avenel last year
"We were just living a normal life, before that," Lachlan said.
He said his interest in agriculture was given a boost by playing an online video game, Farming Simulator 22.
"I really enjoyed it and then moved into going onto people's farms," he said.
"I've been on quite a few farms, in the past year - the eventual aim is to own quite a large farm, hopefully, whether it's up north or here."
He said he hoped to purchase some ewes from his father, to breed his own sheep.
"The $2500 was mum and dad's money, but the $250 I got out of my own wallet," he said.
Mr O'Brien said Lachlan had been interested in farming for some time.
"He knew, two years ago, he wanted to go to agricultural college (Lachlan will start at Yanco Agricultural High School, Yanco, NSW, next year)," Mr O'Brien said.
"He's done a bit of work for local farmers and obviously us buying a farm, and putting sheep on it, has grown his interest."
Mr O'Brien said he was running cross-bred rams over 570 Merino ewes, but Lachlan "had his mind set on breeding these Merinos.
"He's been lucky, he's done a couple of days out on farms, learning all this stuff about Merinos, so his knowledge of the Merino is better than mine," he said.
"He is pulling all the ewes in this weekend, and he reckons he is going to pick out the best of them.
"He's selecting the best of them, to breed his flock."
Mr O'Brien said he grew up on a family farm, in Ensay, east Gippsland, which was sold a few years ago.
"Lachlan rang me to confirm the purchase, I asked him a few questions, and he came up with the right answers and said yes."
Mr O'Brien said Lachlan would pay his parents back for the ram, over the next year.
"He does a lot of work around a few farms and earns his own money," he said.
"He loves it, he really loves it - he's different from the other kids, these days, who have their Playstations, and all that stuff.
"The minute you mention going to work for someone on a farm, he's up and out - he's gone."
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
