A VERY impressive offering of 20 Shorthorn bulls offered in the Narralda annual bull and female sale at the Mt Barker Regional saleyards last week from Alex Burrow and family attracted widespread interest resulting in a total auction clearance.
Along with the 20 bulls the family also penned 34, 2016-drop purebred heifers which also met with strong competition resulting in a total clearance.
Buying support in both the bull and heifer offerings came from a widespread area from pastoral regions, the Eastern Wheatbelt, Great Southern and South West.
The sale was conducted by Elders with Nathan King handling the auctioneering duties.
Narralda stud principal Alex Burrow said after the sale the top bull price of $13,500 was the highest price he had achieved for a number of years.
"It was also very pleasing to see the continuing support from dedicated Shorthorn bull buyers as well as support from buyers buying from the stud for the first time," Mr Burrow said.
"In terms of the heifers they also sold well with a growing number of stud and commercial buyers wanting top heifers for their breeding programs."
Mr King said the complete offering of bulls and heifers through their breeding and presentation was a credit to Mr Burrow and family and this was reflected by the total clearance at auction and values paid on the day.
BULLS
The quality offering of 20 bulls saw a top of $13,500 and the overall average of $7100, which was up by $2267 on last year's sale when 18 bulls were sold.
The top price of $13,500 was paid halfway through the catalogue by Nat James, Milly Milly station in the Murchison, when he had the final bid on Narralda Lieutenant.
The losing bidders were Kevin and Robin Yost and family, Liberty Shorthorn stud, Toodyay.
The red Lieutenant was dropped in early April 2015 and is AI-bred by Sprys Global Demand and out of Narralda Robin.
It had scan figures in January of 120cm2 EMA, 9mm for P8 and rib fat, 5.7 IMF, with a weight of 860 kilograms and a scrotal circumference of 40 centimetres.
Its EBVs are +3.1 birthweight, + 26, +36 and +48 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights while its index values are +$18 domestic maternal, +$20 export maternal and +$28 northern maternal.
The young sale topper won't be on its own on the road trip to Milly Milly as Mr James also successfully bid on another six bulls to finish with seven, at an average of just over $6600.
Earlier in the offering of purebred heifers four registered stud heifers at up to $1700 were also knocked down to Milly Milly.
Mr James said they run about 3000 breeders over their pastoral interests.
A few lots prior to the top-priced bull Mal Phillips, WD & IM Phillips & Son, Manjimup, went to the sale's second top price of $11,000 to secure a sire with similar figures to the top-priced bull.
Again, three James families from around Hyden were there and all went home with one bull each.
Chris James trading as Stockdale Partners who was the buyer of the top-priced bull at last year's sale, this year selected a roan sire and went to $9500 to secure it, while Lindsay James, James Pastoral Co also bought a roan at $8000 and Frank James, FS & KM James went for a red at $6000.
Other regular buyers of Narralda bulls, Matt and Felicity Della Gola, Tonebridge Grazing, Tonebridge, bought one at $8750.
Landmark southern livestock manager Bob Pumphrey was at the sale and bid to $8500 for a roan bull on account of Carlton Nitschke Investments Pty Ltd, Hahndorf, South Australia, for a sire with great structure and figures.
Two bulls at up to $8250 sold to the McLarty family trading as Glenreagh Pty Ltd, Pinjarra, while another was bought by volume buyer at last year's sale Don Hammerquist, Mount Augustus station in the Gascoyne and three found homes in the South West.
HEIFERS
All up 49 purebred heifers were catalogued and of these 10 were to be offered as registered and therefore eligible for transfer.
Inquiry was such that a further five heifers in the commercial offering were identified as being eligible to be registered so all up 15 were offered for stud interest which resulted in some keen bidding.
Lot eight, a red heifer, which was also sired by Sprys Global Demand, saw strong bidding from two sources until at $3500 it was knocked down to the losing bidders of the top-priced bull, Kevin and Robin Yost and family, Liberty stud.
EBVs on this April 2016-drop youngster are +29, + 33 +49 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +32 mature cow weight and +5 milk.
All up six of the 15 stud heifers were bought by the Liberty stud and will join others bought by the Yost family at last year's sale.
Another four of the stud heifers at up to $1700 will also be on their way to Milly Milly station, while two at up to $2050 went to Tonebridge Grazing.
There was similar strong competition on the offering of 34 purebred commercial heifers with the main buyer being Richard Moody, Greenwood Estate, Busselton, who bid successfully on five lines totalling 23 head.
He paid up to $1800 for one pen of five head.
Two other lines totalling 11 head, which included one pen of five that sold at $1700 a head, along with two stud heifers up to $1650 went to AF & HM Hawley, Albany and Collie buyers, D & D Sloan bought four head up to $1650.
The 15 stud heifers averaged $1797 and the 34 purebred commercials averaged $1529 and all up the 49 heifers averaged $1611, well up on last year's sale when the 58 heifers offered and sold averaged $1084.