WA stud's resolve for ram inspires 'battle of the titans' at Yarrawonga sale

The top-priced ram will cross the Nullarbor after a Western Australian stud's must-have confidence in the future sire spurred intense bidding at the 2026 Yarrawonga Merino and Poll Merino sale.

All 280 lots were sold at an average of $5771 and to a top of $55,000 at Harden on Monday, September 14, well up on last year's sale for both figures, which had an average of $3646 and a top of $23,000.

Strong competition rallied the sale high for Yarrawonga 250464, by Yarrawonga 231819, sold to Allan Hobley, Wiringa Park Poll Merino Stud, Nyabing, WA, via Rick Power, Nutrien Stud Stock.

The 118-kilogram ram measured in at a 18.1 micron, cutting a greasy fleece weight of 10.5kg, with a standard deviation of 2.9, a coefficient of variation of 15.8 and a comfort factor of 99.5 per cent, as well as with Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) in the top 1pc for yearling greasy fleece weight at +39.

Mr Power said the buyers had seen the ram at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in July and were determined to take him home if he ended up being catalogued in the Yarrawonga sale.

"Wiringa Park in WA have been following this stud closely," he said.

"It's very similar to sheep to what they breed, but just trying to reduce their micron just a little bit, and that's probably the closest article we've found to do that."

The ram's structure and wool quality were also appealing, Mr Power said, as well as muscle, fat, a modern pedigree and the data to boot.

It was the stud's first time buying from Yarrawonga, but the conviction in how the ram would complement their own flock led to spirited bidding in the shed.

"Once we got over that $35,000, $40,000 price tag, it was obviously a battle of the titans," Mr Power said.

"But a very, very special sheep, and probably very lucky that a sheep like that was in the catalogue and actually for sale and not retained."

The second top-price of the day was made by Yarrawonga 250571, by Yarrawonga 231819, which sold to Michael Hedges, Trapper's Run, Berridale, for $24,000.

The 115kg ram cut a greasy fleece weight of 12.4kg at 18.2 micron, with an SD of 2.6, a CV of 14.1 and a CF of 99.5pc, and tested in the top 10pc for yearling greasy fleece weight at +30.6.

Tim Hawes, Egerton Farm, Lal Lal, Vic, bought 14 rams for an average $4714 a top of $8000 for the property, which is owned by Tianyu Wool, a Chinese wool scouring company.

The farm manager since March, Mr Hawes said he believed the operation had been using Yarrawonga bloodlines for the past five or six years.

The farm runs about 8000 ewes as well as a couple of groups of wethers, totalling about 13,500 head and cutting an average of 4.5kg greasy weight at 17.5 micron.

"Mainly fleece weight and post weaning weight is what I was chasing today," he said.

"I think the Merino industry is sort of starting to lose focus a bit. They're very much chasing eye muscle and things like that, eye muscle and growth.

"This stud stood out at the [Harden] field days because they've got a very good balance. It's good to see we've got a stud around who's still highly focused on wool."

Greg O'Reilly, Wyoming, Gulgong, bought eight rams at an average of $4625 and to a top of $6000, including the final lot of the day, Yarrawonga 250474, for $3000, the proceeds of which were donated to the Peter Westblade Scholarship.

Mr O'Reilly was looking for soundness and structure, running about 3000 ewes in the self-replacing Merino flock across 2200 hectares, averaging 5kg greasy weight at 17 micron.

The quality of the progeny had kept him coming back for the past five years.

"They breed really well at home, these sheep, they suit the country, even though it's different country to what it is here," he said.

"They hold their micron and that really well, our lambs are about 15 micron."

Beggan Beggan, Harden, went home with 20 rams, averaging $4950 and to a high of $7000.

Whitegate Plunkett, Avenel, Vic, bought 16 rams at an average of $4000 and to a top of $7000, while Tony Flanery, Goorama, Lowlynn, Galong, took 11 rams at a $6818 average and to $10,000 for the best of the team.

Pictures by Dakota Tait.

Auctioneer Paul Dooley said the sale was well supported by new clients as well as return customers, with rams heading locally, to Victoria and WA, and to the Monaro, where the challenging season hadn't deterred buyers.

"Most clients are looking for everything, aren't they?" he said.

"They want to cut as much wool as possible, and on a big frame, because you get paid for weight in every department."

The strength of both the wool market and mutton prices were translating into the studstock sector, Mr Dooley said.

"The Merino enterprise is probably by a street at the moment the most profitable livestock enterprise per hectare," he said.

"We're only early into the ram-selling season, but the sales we saw last week were all stronger than last year.'

Stud principal Steve Phillips said the offering averaged 106.5kg overall and exactly 18 micron, and while wool quality was Yarrawonga's "standout", clients were also looking for meat potential.

"We've been pushing a lot of early growth in our sheep for the last few years and that's really coming out at the moment," he said.

"They're the biggest and heaviest they've ever been and we're getting a lot of feedback from clients getting a lot of money for their wether lambs."

The sale was conducted by Elders, Nutrien and Paul Dooley Pty Ltd, with auctioneers Paul Dooley and Nutrien's Rick Power.