Australia's top 10 terminal and maternal ram studs of 2022

Tattykeel proved itself the benchmark for the sheep meat industry, with an Australian White ram selling for $240,000 at its on-property sale.

That was a record price for a sheepmeat ram sold in Australia.

No wonder the Gilmore family described the ram as the 'best of the best'

The criteria for the Terminal and Maternal stud ranking are single-vendor sales of 50 rams or more, with a minimum 80 per cent offering clearance. Female sales are not included as they were not wide enough across the sector to provide a true indicator.

A stud of note that sold at the breed-wide National SheepMaster ram sale in Western Australia was Garnett SheepMaster parent flock, which sold 93 rams to a top of $110,000 and an average of $10,159.

Another stud, which missed our clearance cut-off, was Victorian Australian White stud Gamadale, which set a stud record top price of $27,000 and averaged an incredibly strong $6770 across 97 stud and flock rams sold.

Australia White stud Ardene, South Australia, sold 75 rams for a top of $20,000 and an average of $4607 while a partnership of NSW's Baringa Australian Whites and SA stud Seriston sold 58 of 60 rams in one of two SA sales, reaching $26,000 and averaging $3905. The latter was ruled out as it was not technically a single vendor sale.

NSW dominated our top 10, making up nine of the studs. West Australian stud Hillcroft Farms also made the list. Australian Whites and Dopers/White Dorpers were represented by three studs each. Poll Dorsets were represented by two studs, while White Suffolks and UltraWhites rounded out the top 10.

It must be noted that some studs in our ranking also held sales in 2022 for other breeds that would, alone, rank highly.

The top price ram in our analysis of more than 200 sales nationally was $240,000, for a Tattykeel Australian White sire, while the top 10 studs were well represented in the top-price stakes, with sales of $62,000 and $40,000 recorded.

Sale average $14,655

The Gilmore family's Tattykeel stud is renowned for its Poll Dorset sheep. But it is its very own Australian White breed that has taken the limelight in our rankings.

The Oberon, NSW, stud kicked off the year with its Tattykeel ram and ewe sale at Tarcutta, where 12 stud rams and 115 flock rams averaged a phenomenal $14,655. A stud ram sold on the day for $115,000.

It was then on to its on-property sale, where it averaged a phenomenal $11,736 average for the sale of 336 Australian White rams at its on-property sale, but it also set a sheep-meat record ram price of $240,000.

No wonder the Gilmore family described the ram, Tattykeel Platinum ET 210184, as "the best of the best".

A few days earlier it averaged $12,643 for the sale of 14 stud Poll Dorset rams. However, the offering of 21 rams and clearance percentage failed to meet our criteria to be considered in our average price ranking. This was even despite a top price of $36,000 for a Poll Dorset ram.

Its sale of 91 Poll Dorset flock rams produced a strong average of $2460, producing a combined average across the Tattykeel Poll Dorset stud and flock rams of $3818.

Sale average $5990

It has been an incredible 12 months for Burrawang Dorper and White Dorper stud.

Its March 2022 sale saw a Dorper ram sell for a world record $62,000 and $5751 average for 219 rams sold.

And it then followed that up with a $41,000 sale-topping ram and an even better $5990 average for 197 rams at its October sale.

And between those sales, the stud was sold by Graham and Jana Pickles to the AAM Investment Group.

To give an indication of the pace of demand for Dorpers, Burrawang set a world record Dorper average of $6199 at its 2021 October sale.

Sale average $5537

The Dorper breed was hot in 2022. And proof of that was Amarula Dorper stud at Gravesend, with an average of $5537 for 148 and Doper and White Dorper rams, and a top price of $40,000.

It was the second successive year the Palmer family, Semi-Arid Ag, Overnewton Station, Ivanhoe, had bought the top Amarula ram, last year paying a high of $45,000.

"We come up here every year and Amarula is the only bloodline we use," Bill Palmer said. You can't get a better testimony than that.

Sale average $5500

It was a red-hot Red Hill in 2022, kicking off the year with a scorching $5500 average at its first-ever summer sale in January.

What made this result even more impressive was the 69 rams were flock rams, topping at $9000, the best achieved by the central NSW stud.

And the good times rolled into spring, when 100 stud and flock rams sold to a top of $19,0000 and an average of $4964 - an average high enough to also make it into our top 10 ranking.

"People have been saying they were really impressed with what they have seen and I think that is reflected in the prices," said Red Hill co-principal Leanne Endacott after the spring sale.

Sale average $4597

Situated on the Cullinan family's 21,655-hectare Carstairs Station in far-west NSW, Dust'N Rain Dorper and White Dorper Stud can still draw a crowd.

Its third annual on-property sale was its best ever, drawing a big pool of bidders.

"It was good to see such a big crowd - it was probably the biggest we've had so far," said Gary Cullinan,

And they brought their wallets, with all 110 rams offered sold to a top of $8600 and an average of $4597.

Sale average $4230

Our only non-NSW entry in the top 10, the Bradford family's 2022 sale managed to lift its average by $672 from last year's $3558 for the 248 rams offered and sold.

That included a sale top of $20,500, with rams selling to every mainland state in Australia during a mammoth five-hour selling session.

Prior to the sale stud principal Dawson Bradford said researchers working on Wagyu beef tenderness had isolated the gene for eating quality and about 40 per cent of Hillcroft Farms' sheep carried it.

Sale average $4018

It's a sure sign things are going well when you hit a record high price after 80 years in the breeding game.

That was the case for Garry and Catherine Armstrong's respected Poll Dorset stud Armdale Park at its annual sale in September.

The top of $29,000 was a record for the stud, with an average of $4018 for 172 flock and stud rams sold.

The top price was more than double the previous year's high of $14,000 for a stud ram.

Sale average $3949

It may have been wet, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the buyers of Bungarley Australian White rams at its 2022 sale.

Stud rams hit $20,000, while 59 stud and flock rams sold averaged $3949.

The top price eclipsed the 2021 top of $9500.

"We were very happy with the day and also the way the sheep have come through the very wet winter," stud principal Dan Lustenberger said.

Sale average $3887

Buyers described the offering of Gooramma Poll Dorset stud and flock rams as one of the most consistent lines of rams they had seen.

And they backed that up with their bidding, with all 144 rams offered sold to a top of $18,000 and $3887 average.

The Corcoran family operation's sale top and average were well above the previous year's sale result of $13,500 and $3224 respectively.

Sale average $3727

Felix Rams offered both White Suffolk and Poll Dorset rams at its 2022 sale, but while the Poll Dorsets shone, the White Suffolks won the gold medal.

The complete clearance of 58 White Suffolks sold to a top of $31,500 and averaged $3727, while the 149 Poll Dorset rams (including 30 spring-drop rams) sold for a very strong $3617 average.

"I'm very happy with the result," said Felix Rams principal Rodney Watt.

"Averages were up and it sets a new record price for us for both breeds.

"I am really happy with the clearance. You can't determine the price, but 100 per cent clearance is what you are after."