Buyers chase balanced rams at Tullinga Dorpers in full clearance result

A strong lamb market underpinned the Tullinga Dorper stud's annual sale as buyers chased balanced rams with frame and length.

Held on-property at Condobolin on Wednesday, September 9, all 127 White Dorper and Dorper rams on offer were sold to a top-price of $24,000 and for an average of $4414.

The top-priced ram was Tullinga Black Label, which sold for $24,000 to Dust'n Rain Dorper and White Dorper stud, Pooncarie.

The 30-month-old White Dorper, sired by FatYak Tullinga 223645 and from Tullinga 223332, weighed 128 kilograms and scanned 51 millimetres eye muscle depth and 4.5mm rib fat.

He was a twin-born ram whose grand sire on the maternal side was Dusty Burrawang 190507.

The type five ram was part of the reserve champion interbreed team at the 2025 Australian Sheep and Wool Show.

Buyer Gary Cullinan, Dust'n Rain, said he liked "everything" about the ram.

"His size and frame, and he's from a really good bloodline," he said.

"We use some of the same bloodlines in our stud and we were chasing that."

Mr Cullinan said the ram would go to work almost straight away in the stud operation, where they run about 1000 White Dorper ewes and 500 Dorper ewes and would have 127 rams on offer at auction this year.

"We aim to breed easy-walking rams that are well-muscled," he said.

Tulllinga Dorper studs ram sale

Pictures by Alexandra Bernard

Tullinga stud principal Hamish Wald he was excited for the ram to be going to stud duties at Dust'n Rain.

"He's been a phenomonal ram for us and comes from two dominant families," he said.

The second top-priced ram was Tullinga Donvincible, which sold for $11,200 to a Western Australian buyer via AuctionsPlus.

The 30-month-old type five White Dorper, by Donny Burrawang 211231 and from Matchless 170088, weighed 116kg and scanned 48mm EMD and 6mm fat.

Two White Dorper rams sold for the third top-price of $8200 - Tullinga 250574 and Tullinga 250548, both knocked down to Begargo Creek White Dorpers, Lake Cargelligo.

Tullinga 250574 was a 13-month-old type four ram, by FatYak Tullinga 223645 and from Tullinga 199060, which weighed 90kg and scanned 41mm EMD and 5mm fat.

A type five 13-month-old ram, Tullinga 250548, by FatYak Tullinga 223645 and from Burrawang 230027, weighed 88kg and scanned 39mm EMD and 3mm fat.

Begargo Creek purchased five rams altogether for an average of $6840.

The top-priced Dorper ram was Tullinga 250336, which sold for $5800 to Galari Agriculture, Condobolin.

The 13-month-old type four ram, by Spitfire Tullinga 230146 and from Tullinga 201253, weighed 86kg and had an EMD of 38mm and 3mm fat.

Volume buyers of the sale included James and Victoria Boag, Nyngan, who purchased 10 rams to a top of $5600 and for an average of $4500.

Mrs Boag said they were chasing clean rams with "not too much coverage".

"We use the data but we also make a visual appraisal," she said.

Mr Boag said good feet were important as they had to walk the rams distances at times, and they also looked for good strong heads.

The Boags run a self-replacing commercial flock of about 2500 Dorper ewes, along with cattle and cropping winter cereals at Nyngan.

The Boags had been buying from Tullinga for about four years now with the rams performing well for them.

"They hold up well," Mrs Boag said.

Mike Rosser, Argyle Pastoral, Eugowra and Wanaaring, took home seven rams to a top of $6000 and for an average of $4914.

Mr Rosser runs about 3000 ewes at each property, with a feedlot at Eugowra, and sells lambs over the hooks.

He said he had been using eID tags for about 12 years, helping to drill down hard on fertility, focused on ewes which had twins - the main profitability driver for his enterprise.

Now, as the target carcase weights for lambs had increased and with fertility under control, Mr Rosser said he was chasing size and growth, which had him buying rams from Tullinga.

"I usually buy twin-born rams and they're measuring the eye muscle depth and fat at six-months and again later so you know their growth," he said.

Mr Rosser said good feet were also important, and said he would start to look at feet scoring his flock.

Mr Wald said it was a "fantastic result" with strong support from return buyers, as well as some new buyers.

"We had good support here right from the real top end to the bottom end," he said.

"They're [the buyers] self-replacing so they're chasing those well-balanced rams that are going to help on the lambing side.

"That's what is driving the stronger prices - the better rams that people will keep the ewes from, and they wanted length."

The sale was conducted by Forbes Livestock Agency with Randal Grayson taking bids as the auctioneer. AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.