Full wrap: Platinum progeny still proving worth at Tattykeel Australian Whites

The bar was set high early on at the annual Tattykeel Australian White ram sale at Black Springs on September 24, with bids soaring right from the first lot.

In response to high customer inquiry, a switch was made in the selling order with Tattykeel 'Beast', ET 240067, originally penned as lot 2, instead opening the sale with a bang.

Bids started at $20,000 but quickly grew to the sale high of $80,000, before being knocked down to Regal Australian Whites, Inverell.

Beast, a 137-kilogram, April 2024-drop son on Tattykeel ET 220018, and grandson of the $240,000 Tattykeel Platinum, ET 200085, was out of Tattykeel 210540.

The ram had also been sashed the supreme cleanskin exhibit at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show at Bendigo, Vic, in July.

Tattykeel has retained 400 doses of semen for its own use.

Regal Australian White's Dave and Tyler Stewart attended the sale with the goal of going home with "the best ram", and believe they did this with Beast.

The bulk of the bidding was carried out by their son Dusty, with the instructions to keep going until they had him.

"He's a bit of a standout," Mr Stewart said.

"He had a bit of everything - the most capacity, a lot of thickness, depth and guts."

The Stewarts also paid the top price at Tattykeel in 2024 and were among the syndicate of studs that selected Platinum in 2022.

Regal also picked up the 126kg full brother to Beast, Tattykeel ET 240005, at $34,000.

Mr Stewart said the two brothers were similar types and he was glad he had managed to get both.

The duo will go into the Inverell stud's artificial insemination and embryo transfer program.

The high prices did not stop there with Tattykeel Power, ET 240156, originally penned as lot 1, selling for $50,000 to stud Gamadale, Lascelles, Vic.

The 133kg ram was another Tattykeel 220018 son, out of Tattykeel 211135.

In May, he was selected champion Australian White exhibit at the NSW Sheep Show, Dubbo.

Gamadale's Nip Rowney said the ram had caught their eye with the way he stood, his structure and hair type.

Gamadale also bought a second ram at $30,000, the 100kg, August 2024-drop, Tattykeel ET 2240522, by Tattykeel 230269, out of Tattykeel 230076.

Also active in the stud portion was Quartz Australian Whites, Forbes, which selected three rams, averaging $18,667.

This included Tattykeel 240311, a 119kg June 2024-drop by Tattykeel 221348, out of Tattykeel 211410.

The ram, a class winner at the NSW Sheep Show, sold for $30,000.

All up, 23 of 26 stud rams sold for an average $20,000.

Of 198 flock rams, 164 sold under the hammer for an average $3800, with another two selling shortly after.

The $9000 top price for the flock rams was paid for Tattykeel 240229, a 120kg, June 2024-drop, sired by 220018.

The ram, 'Determination' was selected as a fundraiser pen, raising money for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia, in the stud's fourth consecutive year contributing to the charity.

He was bought by Jessica and Kenrick Denton, Charleville, Qld, among their five lots, averaging $6400.

The sale also offered 68, 2024-drop ewes, scanned in-lamb to Tattykeel Power, ET 240156, which had sold for $50,000 at the start of the sale. These are due to lamb at the start of November.

Of these, 52 sold during the auction to $5250, for an average $2553, with another nine sold directly after.

The top price for these was paid by RJ and JP Aitken, Bundarra, bidding through AuctionsPlus, as one of their four ewes, averaging $3438.

The top price ewe, Tattykeel 240736, was a September-drop twin, sired by Tattykeel 220018, a Tattykeel Platinum son, scanned as expecting twin lambs.

A further nine of 30 unjoined stud ewes sold to $1700, averaging $1522, with another five sold directly after.

The volume buyer among the flock rams was Zimco Trust, Cobar, with 34 rams to $4000, averaging $3234.

Wilson Family Trust, through QLP Livestock, selected seven rams to $3500, averaging $3428, while JK Derrick Farming, Temora, also picked up seven rams to $5500, averaging $4285.

Bidding through AuctionsPlus, Tullamore Holdings Pty Ltd, Kojonup, WA, bought two stud rams to $16,000, as well as six SIL ewes to $4000, averaging $2875.

There was also plenty of bidding interest online, with upwards of 100 viewers on AuctionsPlus throughout the sale, while 67 lots were knocked down through the interface.

While Tattykeel genetics will be heading to all corners of NSW, as well as Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland, they will also be heading overseas, with a syndicate of United States sheep farmers acquiring a share in a keeper ram tag Tattykeel ET 250151, a full brother to Tattykeel Power. This is the second year in a row that US buyers have bought at Tattykeel.

The sale was conducted by QPL Livestock Temora with Miles Pfitzner the auctioneer.