THE State's top price and average for this year's bull selling season to date was set at another red hot Koojan Hills bull sale last week at Kojonup.
A quality team of high performing bulls built on leading Angus genetics that have forged a formidable reputation among cattle breeders throughout the country again attracted widespread stud and commercial support from WA and the Eastern States.
Last year's record breaking sale, where 41 bulls averaged $8177 with prices reaching $22,500, led Koojan Hills stud principal Lew Smit to offer an increased yarding to ensure there was a good selection of bulls at commercial values.
And this proved the case for 11 bulls that sold under the $5000 price tag with the lift in numbers also seeing a $742 drop in average from last year's sale.
However fierce bidding activity on most lots resulted in a complete clearance of the 46 bulls as the average climbed to $7435 with nine bulls reaching five figures.
The transition into a video sale last year proved a great success for the stud and has been well received by the stud's followers as it entered its second year of the video sale format.
The bulls were penned on grass in small groups and allowed buyers to inspect their selections in a relaxed setting for both the buyers and the bulls.
AI sire Te Mania Africa's team of bulls in the sale drew particular interest with the four bulls selling between $12,000 and the sale's $18,500 top price to average a whopping $14,500.
The $18,500 price tag sets the State's record top price for this year's bull selling to date.
Penned in lot two, the $18,500 sale topper, Koojan Hills Africa G8, was purchased over the phone via Elders by long-term stud client Charles Wallace, Woodbourn Angus and Murray Grey studs, Cressy, Tasmania.
The bull was also held in high esteem by Koojan Hills with the stud retaining 200 doses of semen for its own stud use.
And you can you understand why, with the moderate birthweight bull ticking all the boxes of a stud sire physically and with its impressive string of figures.
G8 is a breed trait leader for his age group for milk +22, top five per cent for scrotal size (SS) +2.6, intra muscular fat (IMF) +2.5 and indexes Long Fed/CAAB (LF) +136, Short Fed Domestic (SFD) +89 and Terminal +89 and between the top 10-15pc for Heavy Grass Fed Index (HGF) +97, rib +0.8 and rump +0.9 fats, eye muscle area +6.3 and 400-day weight +86.
Buyer Charles Wallace had been sourcing stud sires from the Koojan Hills stud for up to 18 years and he had big wraps on G8.
Mr Wallace said they had been on the lookout for a Te Mania Africa sire and viewed the bull a week before the sale when he was in WA for the Melaleuca Murray Grey sale where he also purchased in partnership the $14,500 top-priced bull.
"There is certain criteria the bull must fall in line with," he said.
"They must be structurally sound with visual muscle, moderate birthweight, high growth and EMA and positive rib and rump fats which is very important for cattle breeding in Tasmania.
"We are pleased with the soundness of the Koojan Hills cattle, they just keep on keeping on."
Mr Wallace said G8 will be used as a senior stud sire and will go to work shortly after arriving at its new home for its first joining at the end of May.
The losing bidder on the top-priced bull, George Clark, GA Clark Nominees Pty Ltd, Albany, didn't let it deter him from a securing an Africa son and paid the sale's $14,000 second top price for Koojan Hills Africa G24.
Penned in lot seven, G24 also performed extremely well in its Breedplan results measuring in the top 5pc for Terminal index +88, top 10pc for SFD +88, HGF +100, LF +130, IMF +2.2, retail beef yield (RBY) +1.1, EMA +7.3 and SS +2.5.
George Clark said the family runs between 250 and 300 Angus breeders and the Te Mania Africa genetics offers a new bloodline to the herd.
He said it was because of its pedigree and its strong traits that the bull was so appealing.
"A moderate mature cow-weight bull with good figures for EMA, 400-day growth, milk and all its index values," he said.
Other buyers to part with some of the sale's top values for progeny of Africa included PT Pullan who paid $13,500 for the low birthweight bull in lot 39 that is a trait leader for milk and SS and in the top 5pc for index values HGF, SFD and Terminal.
Bullrush Farming, Gingin, paid $12,000 for the other son of Africa, Koojan Hills G55, which was penned in lot one and is a low birthweight bull that measured in the breed's top 5pc for birthweight, SS, milk, IMF and SFD and Terminal indexes.
There were several other sales in excess of five figures recorded at the sale.
These included lot eight Koojan Hills G29, an AI son of Landfall Everlast that was knocked down to Bangadang Pty Ltd for $13,500.
G29 is a trait leader for 400-day weight and carcase weight and in the top 5pc for 200 and 600-day weights and Terminal index.
The Kupsch family's Tara Angus stud, Walkaway, secured lot 46 containing Koojan Hill Genesis G166, a son of Ardrossan Direction for $13,000, Towerlup Cattle Company, Kojonup, outlaid $12,500 for Koojan Hills Unlimited G176 in lot 27 which was sired by Bangadang C9 and RHG & BS Alp, Gingin, paid $11,500 for Koojan Hills G47 by homebred bull Infinity E110 in lot 13.
But by far the most prominent buyer of the day was long-time client Sue Ray, SH Ray, Holbrook, NSW, who purchased a team of nine bulls paying to a top price of $10,500 and average $6250.
Ms Ray, who runs 500 pure Koojan Hills blood Angus breeders, has been a loyal client at Koojan Hills for 15 years and achieves considerable success with her calves at the Wodonga weaner sales.
For the fourth year running, Ms Ray again achieved the sale's champion draft of steers competing against a yarding of 6000 steers which is judged by a lotfeeder.
"It hasn't been a good season but the cattle presented very well," Ms Ray said.
"It's been a tough year to sell cattle and prices were back considerably compared to last year but everyone has copped it to some degree.
"I have always sold my steer calves as weaners and I'm not about to change."
Ms Ray said Koojan Hills principal Lew Smit selected a number of bulls on her behalf to work through during the sale.
"I have complete confidence in what Lew is doing and he knows exactly what I want and I wouldn't be any better off going to WA to see the bulls," Ms Ray said.
"I'm thrilled to bits with the way the cattle perform and I think if you're onto a good thing, stick to it."
There were a number of multiple bull buyers at the sale including third generation farmer David Mackie, GP Mackie & Co, New Norcia, who collected five bulls to a top of $9500.
Mr Mackie said they run a second generation Angus breeding herd comprising 800 head and have been sourcing Koojan Hills sires for the past four years.
He said the family is pleased with the performance of the bulls and their progeny.
"We particularly look for depth of body and wide, square frames with moderate birthweights and decent growth averages in the bulls," Mr Mackie said.
The Mackie calves are weaned and partially finished in the family's own feedlot on a Gilmac ration to 350-400kg where they are generally sold on to finishers.
Rayview Park, Albany, sourced three bulls at the sale and paid to $7250 while successful on two bulls were IG & SB Rutherford, Duranillin, to $5000, Pardelup Prison Farm, Mt Barker, to $7250, G & M Wilkinson, Badgingarra, to $7000 and 5PH Grazing, Esperance, to $4500.