Best boy: Top-priced ram at Balmattum Australian White Sheep stud was Lot 20, called Potential. The ram fetched $5500.
Balmattum Australian White Sheep stud’s first ever ram sale happened in the shadow of a titan.
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Tattykeel — the stud Balmattum bought its foundation flock from and sources sire rams from — sold a ram for $165,000 just five days before Balmattum went to auction on October 4.
Freshly crowned the most expensive meat breed sheep in Australia, the Tattykeel ram was purchased through AuctionsPlus by a South Australian stud.
Much to the relief of the 50-odd bidders at Balmattum, the same dizzying heights weren’t achieved by the Euroa stud.
The 22 Tattykeel bloodline rams on offer averaged $3216.
Lot 20, otherwise known as Potential, took out the top price of $5500.
The 103 kg ram is a grandson of Tattykeel Leader, who was purchased for a then-record-breaking $38,000 in 2017.
Potential was the only ram in the auction not born in August 2020 and not fathered by Tattykeel ET 171250 Tw.
Almost the best: Lot 10 fetched $5250 at the sale. The August 2020-born ram lost out on being the top-priced lot by only one bid. Pictures: Balmattum Australian White Sheep
Overall the auction netted the stud $70,750 with a 100 per cent clearance rate.
Kristen Davey helps her father, Richard Boadle, manage the stud and said her father deliberately timed the sale to happen in the wake of Tattykeel but before other big studs started later in the week.
“Dad was pretty careful about the dates and he picked it well,” Ms Davey said.
Balmattum had participated in the Tattykeel ram sale, which grossed more than $5.6 million according to AuctionsPlus.
“We’d bought a ram from Tattykeel the week before (our sale). He was $35,000 and will be the principal stud sire for our AI program in December,” Ms Davey said.
“We also picked up four stud ewes for $7000 each. Two are scanned in-lamb.”
The further investment in top genetics continues seven years of work for the stud.
“Dad got into the breed early, he was there when Tattykeel were starting to sell,” Ms Davey said.
The sale proceeds of the final lot at the Balmattum auction were donated to the Rotary Club of Euroa and Beyond Blue.
The donation was made by the family in memory of Ms Davey’s sister Jane, who died in a car accident in June. The 42-year-old osteopath is remembered as a much-loved and adored daughter, sister and aunty.
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