Top-priced Wild Oat ram heads west as Merino operation makes move to SheepMasters

The top-priced ram and a swathe of quality sires have headed to the Far West with buyers swapping wool sheep for shedders at the Wild Oat SheepMaster stud's third on-property sale.

Of the 100 rams offered on Wednesday, September 30, 97 were sold at an average of $4376 and to a top of $18,000.

The three unsold lots all found buyers after the conclusion of the sale, and both the top and average were well up on last year's sale, which had 78 of 80 rams sold to a top of $6000 and at an average of $3429.

The sale high ram, Wild Oat 250172, by Wild Oat 230293 out of Wild Oat 210037, went home with Luke Bos, Pine Camp Station, Wentworth.

The 112-kilogram, May 2025-drop had combined Lambplan figures in the top 20 per cent for birth weight at +0.08, while his twin brother was retained by the stud.

Mr Bos said the sire would help form the foundation of their new commercial shedding flock as they looked to phase out Merinos.

The operation had 900 shedding ewes and had been "developing the bloodline" for a couple of years, although a total move away from wool was still years down the line.

Mr Bos said he liked "everything" about the top-priced ram, which would help build on the Wild Oat genetics already in the flock.

"He was the most sound ram here," he said.

"Mouth, back, legs, good weight, good structure, everything, good pelt on him."

The operation turned off lambs of various weights to the saleyards, but was retaining most ewe lambs at the moment as they built up the flock.

Mr Bos said the lack of availability of shearers and the workload of a wool operation had encouraged the move to meat sheep, as well as the money.

"But the breed development in these shedding breeds across sort of Aussie Whites, SheepMasters, become quite profitable," he said.

"And real durable in our country too over in the Far West."

Another 14 rams were also bound for the same district with volume buyer Warren Duncan, Dunedin Park, Wentworth, who bought the team at an average of $5893 and to $7500 for the best.

The rams would join six other Wild Oat sires bought last year and be put to work with 3500 Australian White ewes, with the operation likely to soon begin selecting ewes for groups of rams.

That combination delivered "good body length, good body width, good body depth", Mr Duncan said, and had been a valuable shift as they diversified from the Merino stud they operate.

"We've done it because of basically labour costs and we're getting a bit older," he said.

"We've just reduced the amount of Merinos, because of the operating costs, shearing and chemicals.

"We've also fenced off significant amounts of property for Aussie Whites, particularly, and putting SheepMaster rams over them with the idea of going to pure SheepMasters eventually."

Pictures by Dakota Tait.

Wild Oat stud manager Tessa O'Hare said growth rates were a big appeal of the breed, and from weaning to post-weaning, the ewe lambs had put on an average of 300 grams a day and the ram lambs 416g/day.

Winter had been like spring, she said, before a dry turn in September, though the rams were in good condition and had put on an average of 7kg in September.

Ms O'Hare said there was lots of interest from producers wanting to make the switch to shedders.

"Demand is much higher than supply at the moment," she said.

"Especially ewes, that's probably the biggest struggle for people to get in, is the ewe numbers aren't there.

"But lots of people are doing different things, especially if they've already got a good maternal base, using the SheepMasters to breed up their own ewes."

The sale was conducted by Nutrien and Kevin Miller Whitty Lennon and Co, with Nutrien's Matt Campion auctioneering, and interfaced with AuctionsPlus.