VENDORS and buyers celebrated the 30th birthday of the Gingin Bull Sale last week with prices reaching a high of $17,000 for a Black Tara Angus bull.
The sale started from humble beginnings at the old Gingin Rodeo Yards in 1989 and has grown into one of the go-to multi-breed bull sales in the State.
Last week’s anniversary sale was no different with buyers descending on the sale’s purpose-built yards at the Gingin Recreation Centre.
The sale was again interfaced on AuctionsPlus this year and the top quality catalogue of 76 bulls representing five British and European beef breeds from nine vendors, drew widespread interest from across the State.
When the sale got underway there were 47 buyers from Esperance to Geraldton registered and they bid strongly on the bulls that best suited their requirements.
While some vendors enjoyed strong sales and clearances, selective buying later in the sale unfortunately saw a number of bulls overlooked which impacted the sale’s overall clearance and returns.
Overall 51 bulls (67 per cent) sold under the Landmark and Elders hammers at an average of $7255 and a gross of $370,000, figures which were all back on last year’s record-breaking sale.
This equated to 16 less bulls selling, with the clearance back 29pc compared to last year, while the average fell $432, resulting in the gross being reduced by $145,000.
Last year’s sale saw 67 from 70 bulls (96pc) sell at auction for an average of $7687.
Landmark auctioneer Tiny Holly said it was a sale of mixed results with the Angus bulls selling very well while some of the other breeds were more difficult to sell.
“The Angus offering was the buyers choice and once again were the flavour of the month and sold well,” Mr Holly said.
“While the results for the Angus breed were back on last year, the line-up of Angus bulls sold in line with other Angus sales this year and there was certainly some good buying among the Angus line-up.
“Throughout the sale buyers were selective and certainly had a type in mind.
“Bulls with good figures sold well.
“They needed more than just the shop front, they had to have figures to back them up.
“Overall it was a buyers market compared to last year’s red hot sale.”
Elders auctioneer Don Morgan agreed saying while the Angus sold well, buyers were particularly selective on breed.
“There were some exceptionally good Limousin bulls that failed to attract a bid,” Mr Morgan said.
“It’s disappointing for the vendors when good cattle don’t sell.
“The cattle market is still very good with manufacturing and young cattle selling well.
“Last week old bulls (approx 1000kg) sold to $2600 at the Muchea Livestock Centre so $1400 isn’t a lot of change over for good young bulls at $4000.”
The sale got off to a flying start and it wasn’t long before the day’s $17,000 top-price was set when the Kupsch family’s Black Tara stud, Allanooka, walked its second bull into the ring.
Mr Holly took an opening bid of $6000 on the powerful sire, Black Tara M28, and the price quickly rose and surpassed Mr Holly’s opening call of $15,000.
In the end it was Gary Buller, Monterey Angus and Murray Grey studs, Karridale, who landed the $17,000 winning bid after a bidding tussle with regular top-end buyer Trevor Kanny, Cherip Holdings, Walkaway.
Mr Buller purchased Black Tara M28 (three quarter share and possession) in partnership with the Murray family’s Tullibardine Angus stud, Albany.
The 872kg, deep bull is AI-bred mid-March 2016 born son of USA sire S Chisum 6175 and out of an AI-bred GAR Yield Grade daughter Black Tara E3.
It displayed a solid spread of EBVs with strong maternal data including being in the breed’s top five per cent for days to calving (-7.6), top 15pc calving ease (DTRS), top 25pc mature cow weight (MCW) (+103) and milk (+17) along with growth in the top 10-15pc for all intervals, top 5pc carcase weight (CWT) (+77) and top 10pc scrotal (+2.8).
Later in the sale the partnership also secured a Kapari bull for $7500.
Kapari Malik M66 was born mid-April 2016 and is a son of Koojan Hills Equator F13.
It ranked in the top 10pc for 600-day weight and MCW and top 15pc for 400-day weight.
Mr Buller said both bulls were complete outcrosses for the Monterey and Tullibardine herds and were selected mainly for type.
“The Black Tara bull has great depth, length, softness and a terrific hindquarter,” he said.
“It’s well balanced with an excellent slick coat and while it had tidy enough figures, it was its type we were looking for.
“The Kapari bull again had good depth of body and softness, good spine and head, tidy tail set and sheath.
“It has a handy set of figures and high indexes and the Equator F13 sons in the sale were appealing.
“They were very even and bred true to type which gives us confidence going forward.”
p Angus
Like other sales this year the Angus breed set the benchmark at the Gingin sale in terms of both average and clearance.
In the run, four regular sale vendors combined to offer 50 bulls and with solid support 45 sold under the hammer to top the breed average stakes at $7578.
While the average was well up on all the other breeds it was back on last year’s record sale where 46 from 48 Angus bulls offered, sold for an average of $8652.
Interest in the Black Tara bulls went beyond the sale’s top price, with another nine bulls from the stud’s team of 11 offered finding new homes to see it finish with an average of $9350 - the best stud average recorded for the sale.
Along with the sale’s $17,000 top price bull the Kupsch family sold another three bulls for $10,000 or more including its lead bull Black Tara M5 (AI) for $10,500 to the Grima family, KA & TB Grima, Mullewa.
The 942kg AI-bred son of Connealy Final Product not only showed plenty of style and length in the ring it also ticked all the boxes when it came to its figures.
It ranks in the top 5pc of the breed for 200 and 400-day weights (+57 and +101), CWT (+80) and retail beef yield (RBY) (+2.1) as well as top 10pc for 600-day weight (+127) and eye muscle (EMA) (+7.6).
Matt Della Gola, Tonebridge Grazing, Tonebridge, made sure he didn’t waste his trip up to Gingin, when he secured the deep, muscly Black Tara M41 (AI) for $10,000.
The S Chisum son had a bodyweight of 952kg and is in the top 5pc for 200-day weight (+55) and top 10pc 400-day weight (+96).
The final bull to make five figures in the Black Tara team was Black Tara M2 (AI) when it sold at $10,000 to the Kanny family, Cherip Holdings.
The 892kg son of Connealy Final Product has top carcase figures including +2.2 rib fat (top 5pc),+8 EMA and +1.5 RBY (top 10pc) along with +1.3 rump fat (top 15pc).
Buying with the assistance of Primaries Geraldton representative Nick Benson, Tebco Fishing, Dongara, secured two Black Tara Angus bulls.
It paid $8000 for Black Tara M21 (AI) and $5000 for Black Tara M22 (AI), which are both sons of Connealy Final Product.
M22 is in the top 5pc of the breed for EMA at +10.
The Sudlow family’s Kapari Angus stud, Northampton, was again the sale’s biggest individual vendor with a team of 27 bulls.
Strong support for the State’s most northern-based Angus stud resulted in all 27 bulls being cleared under the hammer at an average of $7889 and to a top of $12,000, which was the second top price in the sale.
The stud’s $12,000 top price was paid by return buyers Sue Forrester and Sefton Todd, Durawah Pastoral and Livestock Carriers, Chapman Valley, for Kapari Traction M16 (AI).
M16, a late-March born AI-bred bull by JMB Traction 292, showed a top hindquarter to go with plenty of depth and muscling in the ring.
Along with plenty of eye appeal, Traction M16 had the figures to back it up, ranking in the top 10pc for 400-day weight (+93) and EMA (+7.4), top 15pc for rump fat (+1.2) along with top 20pc 200-day weight (+49) and CWT (+68).
Mr Todd said Traction M16 was the bull they really wanted and decided they would up what they were going to pay just before it entered the ring.
“I picked him out of the catalogue on his figures and when I saw him I knew he was the one,” Mr Todd said.
“He just stood out to us, he is a good square bull and is well set up.
“In terms of his figures he has a low birthweight (+3.9), a good EMA, good rib and rump figures and he is also good for milk and docility.
“Our aim is to use him over our Angus and Santa Gertrudis cross heifers this season.”
Ms Forrester said this year they would mate 120 Angus and Santa Gertrudis cross cows and 56 heifers and their aim is to get to a pure Angus herd in the coming years.
The next best price in the Kapari team was $11,000 and two bulls reached this level.
The first bull from Kapari to sell for $11,000 was the stud’s team leader Kapari Traction M17 (AI) in lot 13.
The JMB Traction 292 son, which showed off plenty of stretch, depth and muscling in the ring, was purchased by HJ & K Stokes & Sons Pty Ltd, Mingenew.
Along with being easy on the eye Traction M17 didn’t disappoint on the figure front either as it ranks in the top 5pc of the breed for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, milk and carcase weight.
It has an Angus Breeding Index of +$142 and a domestic index of +$128, which are both in the top 5pc.
The operation also secured another two Kapari bulls at $9500 and $6500 to finish with a team of three at an average of $9000.
Return Kapari buyers the Alp family, RHG & BS Alp, Gingin, secured the second Kapari bull to make $11,000 when they had the final bid on Kapari Mavrick M22.
Mavrick M22 is by Koojan Hills Equator F13 and has growth EBVs of +43, +84 and +110 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights which are all above the breed average.
Another return buyer to bid up strongly on the Kapari team was Mt Samuel, Mingenew, which purchased three sires to a top of $10,000 and an average of $8333.
The Mingenew operation paid $10,000 for an Ardrossan Justice J93 son, Kapari Justice M48 (AI).
Justice M48 stood out with its carcase figures of +7.5 EMA which ranked it in the top 10pc of the breed along with positive fats of +2.4 rib and +2.8 rump which place it in the top 5pc.
Rounding out the Kapari bulls to sell at five figures was the final bull offered by the stud, Kapari Malt M96, when it was knocked down to Cosgrove Farming Co, Mingenew.
Malt M96 is by homebred sire Kapari Thunderbird K54 and is in the top 10pc for docility at +20.
Cosgrove Farming also picked up a Te Mania Infinity 04 379 son, Kapari Infinity M47 (AI) for $8000.
The volume buyer in the Kapari run securing six sires to a top of $8000 and an average of $6750 were the Vlahov family, TI & AM Vlahov, Geraldton, who join 500 breeders annually which are near pure Angus.
Buyer Rodney Vlahov said the family had been buying from the stud for more than a decade and liked using Kapari bulls because they were suited to their environment and their progeny grew well in the northern conditions.
“We like the Angus breed because there are plenty of marketing opportunities for our calves from the domestic market through to the live export market,” Mr Vlahov said.
“They really sell themselves and our calves are always in demand.”
Along with assistance from Kapari’s Tony and Ian Sudlow in helping to improve their herd, Mr Vlahov said production specialist Dr Paul Wynhuston from Great Southern Veterinary Services, Mt Barker, had helped increased the production in their cattle herd.
The Topham family’s Cookalabi stud, Coomberdale, presented its usual team of 10 sires and sold seven under the hammer to a top of $5500 and an average of $4357.
The stud’s $5500 top price was paid by McLarty Bros, Pinjarra, when it secured Cookalabi M50.
The Ardcairnie J29 son was good in the fats ranking in the top 10pc of the breed with figures of +1.5 rib fat and +1.8 rump fat.
M50 is also above breed average for 200, 400 and 600-day weights with EBVs of +49, +84 and +110, along with MCW (+94), CWT (+63) and EMA (+6.1).
The Pinjarra operation also paid $7500 earlier in the sale for a Kapari bull.
The next best price in the Cookalabi team was $5000 for Cookalabi M2 when it was knocked down to Mt Gerazim Farms, Dandaragan.
M2 is sired by Cookalabi J50 and ranks in the top 10pc of the breed for docility (+22) and is above breed average for growth with EBVs of +46, +84 and +110 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
The Dandaragan operation also paid $4000 for Cookalabi M54, an Ardcairnie H134 son, which ranks in the top 5pc of the breed for rib (+2.0) and rump (+2.1) fat.
Also securing two bulls from the Cookalabi team both at $4000 was I & J Minty & Sons.
The operation purchased a Koojan Hills Elevator J149 son and an Ardcairnie J29 son which both ranked in the top 5pc of the breed for docility.
The Collard family’s Warringah stud, Gingin, rounded out the Angus offering with a team of two bulls.
They sold one at auction, Warringah Old Post M25, for $4000 to GA & PA Martin & Son, Badgingarra.
Old Post M25 is by Diamond Tree Old Post G91 and is in the top 10pc for RBY at +1.6.
p Limousin
The Limousins were next up with a combined offering of 11 bulls from two regular vendors, Tara stud, Allanooka and Woronyne stud, Wongan Hills.
Unfortunately it was tough going for the auctioneering team throughout this year’s Limousin offering.
In complete contrast to last year where the breed received solid support resulting in a 100pc clearance of the bulls on offer, it wasn’t until the second last Limousin bull entered the ring this year did buyers show any interest.
In the end only two Limousin bulls sold from the offering of 11 at the $4000 reserve price.
The two bulls that sold were both from the Kupsch family’s Tara stud offering of six bulls and both were purchased by return buyer Lindsay Payne, Linsmau stud, Bullsbrook.
Mr Payne purchased Tara M38 and Tara M51, which were both polled, apricot-coloured sons of Tara E016.
M38 weighed 860kg and has growth figures of +17, +30 and +41 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights while the 850kg M51 has growth numbers of +24, +38 and +53 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
Mr Payne runs 150 Shorthorn breeders and has been using Limousin bulls over his Shorthorns for eight years with great results.
“I get all apricot coloured calves and there is very little difference between the steer and heifers calves when it comes to their weights and muscle patterns,” Mr Payne said.
“As a result I am getting extra dollars for my heifers and there are more buyers operating on them compared to when I was just selling pure Shorthorn calves.”
This selling season Mr Payne sold 100 Limousin-Shorthorn cross calves over six weeks through the Muchea Livestock Centre and on every occasion his calves topped the market.
Mr Payne said he really liked Tara Limousin bulls because they were bomb proof.
“They are quiet bulls with great temperaments and are producing equally as quiet calves that are soft with plenty of muscling,” he said.
p Gelbvieh
The WA College of Agriculture Morawa’s Mowag Gelbvieh stud this year offered up one May 2016-drop sire and it was quickly snapped up at $5500.
Taking home Mowag Mufusa M502 at the $5500 price tag was the Grima family, KA & TB Grima, Mullewa.
Buyer Kane Grima said it was the first time the family had purchased a Gelbvieh bull for their herd of 300 breeders which is made up of a range of breeds.
“We were looking for another breed to add in some more hybrid vigour to our herd and we also wanted a low birthweight bull as it will be used over Angus and Limousin cross heifers,” Mr Grima said.
Mufusa M502 is by JDPD Astro 407S and has EBVs of -2.4 birthweight as well as +12, +32 (top 5pc of the breed) and +28 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
The Grima family background their calves before running them through a feedlot on the property.
They are then sold at 14-15 months old out the feedlot to the best market at the time.
p Murray Grey
The Stickland family’s Mungatta stud, Wongan Hills, was the only Murray Grey stud to offer bulls in the Murray Grey portion of the catalogue again this year and its offering consisted of a team of 12 bulls.
Throughout the Mungatta run the auctioneering team did find the going hard and when the last bull left the ring only three had been sold under the hammer at an average of $5167.
The top price in the Mungatta offering was $5500 paid by first-time buyer at the sale Peter Scott, Scott Grazing, East Chapman, for Mungatta Qandahar M44.
The 816kg, late March 2016-drop bull is by Mungatta Nicholson J25 and ranks in the top 10pc of the breed for growth with EBVs of +32, +50 and +68 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
Mr Scott said they were looking to inject some hybrid vigour into their Red Poll cow herd with the Murray Greys without compromising temperament and herd maintenance.
He said the Red Polls are a gentle low maintenance breed that are easy on fences and gates without a lot of calving issues and hopes the Murray Greys will also fit this mould.
The Scotts calve down their cows from May to June and sell their weaned calves to the local feeder market when they reach 280kg.
The other two bulls to sell in the Mungatta line-up both made $5000.
Consistent Mungatta buyers Mikkelsen & Wilson purchased a 814kg Monterey Elegant Lad E265 son, Mungatta Quaker M14, at $5000.
Quaker M14 ranks in the top 1pc of the breed for 200 and 600-day weights with EBVs of +38 and +83 along with top 5pc for 400-day weight (+58) and top 10pc for CWT (+42) and EMA (+2.4).
Mungatta Quark M28 was the third Mungatta sire to sell and it was purchased at $5000 by Coolup producers G & C White, who bought with the assistance of Landmark Harvey representative Ralph Mosca.
The 750kg Quark M28 is also sired by Monterey Elegant Lad E265.