Top Batt score

Christmas has come early for the Batt family of Boddington in the form of higher prices for their brilliant white wool clip.

Topping the 92-bale offering of John and Ainslie Batt’s AO triangle brand was a seven-bale line of 17.1 micron October-shorn wool, which had a yield of 71.8 per cent and sold for 1249 cents/kg greasy through the Primaries catalogue. “Prices overall were some of the best we have ever received,” Mr Batt said.

The couple were also very complimentary of the brilliant season.

“We had 500mm of rain and plenty of pasture as compared to only 240mm last season,” he said.

Mrs Batt said everything was back in good order at the farm, with enough water in dams to get through this summer.

“We are especially pleased to have our daughter Susie with us full time, who is very capable with all farm work,” she said.

The Batts run a 2500 self-replacing Merino flock and have used Dongiemon bloodlines for many years.

At the recent Dongiemon ram sale, the Batts secured 15 Merino rams, which will be turned off into the breeding flock to bolster next year’s spring lambs.

Dongiemon stud principal Stuart Rintoul, of Williams, classes the Batts’ flock ewes every year, which adds to the progression of the wool clip quality. “Although wool and sheep prices are very good, we will maintain breeding numbers and hope for another good season ahead,” Mr Batt said.

In addition to being successful sheep graziers, the Batts run 150 cattle breeders and crop about 500 bales of hay a year. “It has been very satisfying to run livestock and today’s wool prices have been a wonderful reward,” Mrs Batt said.