'Red hot' $2300-top at springing heifer

Once again the State's largest and premier first-cross breeder sale lived up to expectations with the outstanding yarding of first-cross Friesian heifers from the South West meeting with strong demand from a long list of return buyers who pushed prices to a high of $2300.

Despite the volume of heifers being significantly lower in this year's sale compared to previous years, there was no disputing the quality of the yarding with many saying it was one of best seen at the sale.

Throughout the sale the astute group of buyers, who remain committed to the future of their breeding herds, bid competitively on the yarding to record highs with 18 pens selling for $2000 or more to help achieve an impressive gross of $1,300,775.

While there were the extreme highs there was also good buying at the lower end of the market for producers wishing to re-invest in breeders, with heifers also selling in the $1400 to $1500 range.

Across the board, 721 of the total yarding of 733 first-cross heifers sold under the hammer for a whopping average of $1804, which was up $213 on last year.

The average also set a new record mark for the sale after it eclipsed the previous best average of $1783 set in 2011, when 912 heifers were offered and sold.

While prices across the board were higher, the overall sale gross figure was back $165,890, compared to last year's sale and it was a long way back compared to the sale's gross record of $1.83 million set in 2003 when 1443 heifers were sold.

Sale co-ordinator Michael Carroll said while numbers were back on previous years the quality of the offering was outstanding and the heifers were showing the signs of the excellent season in the South West.

"The buying support was strong throughout the sale and the Angus-Friesian heifers sold particularly well," Mr Carroll said.

"The quality stand-out lines were recognised by the buyers and they bid up on these strongly.

"All in all it was a very positive sale and the final result was above expectations."

Elders auctioneer Alec Williams said the combination of an exceptional season resulted in a very even offering from start to finish and this helped values exceed expectations.

"There were two volume buyers which helped contribute to the strong result and these along with other repeat buyers were at the sale acquiring suitable lines for their future breeding programs," he said.

"The synchronised heifers were keenly sought after, fetching a premium throughout the sale.

"Overall it was a strong sale and vendors should be congratulated on the quality of the heifers they offered at this premier sale."

Regular sale vendor the Brooks family, JA & NA Brooks & Son, Witchcliffe, again featured strongly in the sale including the sale's $2300 top price.

The top line consisted of eight Angus-Friesian heifers that were mated to Monterey and Blackrock Angus bulls and due to calve from January 26 for an 11 week calving period.

The $2300 top price was paid by Gerald Young, EN Young & Son, Yornup.

Mr Young is a regular buyer at the sale sourcing replacement breeders for his Angus-Friesian herd that are joined to Simmental bulls bred by his nephew Shane Kammann, Manjimup.

The family's calves are sold direct off-farm to the supermarket trade at nine to 10-months, averaging 270kg dressed weight.

Mr Young said his late father Ernie was a top stockman and always said that if you buy good females you will produce good calves.

"They are beautiful cows, very quiet and easy to handle with plenty of milk," he said.

"Last year I purchased 15 from this sale and had 15 calves.

"When you pay big money for your heifers, you have to look after them."

Along with selling the top-priced line of the sale which came from the Angus-Friesian section, the Brooks family also topped the Hereford-Friesian section of the sale with a draft of three red and white heifers, selling to FG & R Cavallo, Donnybrook, for $1975.

The heifers had been mated to Monterey and Blackrock Angus bulls and due to calve from January 26 to April 13.

The Cavallo family run 100 first-cross breeders, which are mainly Hereford-Friesian cross for baby beef production because they produce a really good calf.

The Cavallos used Murray Grey bulls over their breeders and they sold their first draft of calves, for the season at eight months, last week.

The Cavallo family also purchased a Hereford-Friesian heifer from the Roberts family, KS & EN Roberts, Elgin and another offered by AJ Milner, Busselton, both at $1700.

p Angus-Friesian

The sale's big opening run of Angus-Friesian heifers again made up the majority of the yarding with an offering of 613 heifers.

This equated to 84 per cent of the total yarding, while the gross of just under $1.2 million for the offering, equated to 86pc of the sale gross.

Competitive bidding from a list of return buyers and a handful of new producers resulted in all 613 heifers offered being sold under the hammer for an average of $1826.

The average was up $232 compared to last year when there was an 89pc clearance of the 926 heifers offered for an average of $1594.

Other stronger prices in this section included the sale's $2225 second top priced bid by Kim Dunnet, OM Dunnet & Co, Nannup and Scott River, who was assisted in his bidding by Daniel Delaney, Delaney Livestock, Busselton.

The draft consisted of eight Angus-Friesian heifers which were offered in the sale by regular and volume vendors EP & DK Gardiner, Brunswick.

The heifers were synchronised AI-mated to a Limousin bull and backed up by Limousin bull and are due to calve over an eight-week period from February 2 to March 31.

Buyers OM Dunnet & Co have been long-time supporters of the sale and purchased a total of 69 Angus-Friesian heifers and 14 Hereford-Friesians as replacements for their large commercial herd of Angus-Friesian and Hereford-Friesian breeders at their Nannup and Scott River properties.

Buyer Kim Dunnet said in conjunction with some industry programs, the family implemented rotational grazing three years ago and for the last two years had been actively increasing stocking rates to remain viable.

The family use predominantly Charolais bulls and all progeny is grassfed and sold to the Meat and Poultry Company through Delaney Livestock, with 80-90pc sold as 10 to 11-month-old vealers, averaging 230-260kg dressed weight, while the balance is retained and sold as trade weights to the same company the following year.

Mr Dunnet said their top-priced heifers from the Gardiner family were big-framed, roomy and milky heifers.

"You can't average these sorts of weights without a good-sized cow to carry the Charolais calf," he said.

"Last year we purchased heifers with the Limousin joining and the calves performed extremely well as slaughter cattle."

Along with the second top-priced line of heifers the Dunnets purchased two more lines of eight Angus-Friesian heifers with same mating details from the Gardiners for $2150 and $1950.

Other pens also purchased by the operation included three pens each containing nine head from volume vendors Roberts family, KS & EN Roberts, Elgin, at $2075, $2050 and $2025.

These three pens had been synchronised AI-mated to Limousin sire, Unison F29 and have a short 20-day calving starting from January 20.

Also buying numbers in the sale was first time buyer TF Hutton & Sons, Capel.

The Capel operation secured a total of 76 head to a top of $2175 for a draft of eight heifers offered by return vendors RC & CD Barbetti & Sons, Waterloo.

The line of sleek black females which were oozing milk, had been mated to Limousin bulls and were due to calve from January 28 to April 22.

The Huttons also paid $2075 for a second pen of eight Barbetti heifers which carried the same breeding details.

Other lines purchased by the Huttons included nine offered by the Roberts family at $2150 and nine offered by the Harris family, MJ & HE Harris, Dardanup, at $2000.

The Roberts' heifers had been mated to Unison F29 and have an eight week calving starting January 20 while the Harris heifers were mated to a Limousin bull and have a 12-week calving period starting January 31.

Others to buy multiple pens at the top end of the market included BJ & FH Tomas, Nannup, who purchased four pens totalling 33 head to a top of $2050.

Included in the load headed to Nannup were two pens of nine from the Roberts family offering.

Also bidding up strongly to a high of $1900 was JB & H Wringe, Castledene Enterprise, Kirup, which finished the sale with 43 head which came out of five pens.

Their draft included two pens of nine from the Roberts family, a pen of eight from BW & RB Ridley, Brunswick, nine from MJ & HE Harris and eight from RC & CD Barbetti & Sons.

p Murray Grey-Friesian

Like the Angus-Friesian yarding, the Murray Grey yarding was also back in numbers compared to previous years with 78 head offered.

After the final grey heifer left the ring, 68 had sold under the hammer at an average of $1641, which was up $92 on last year when 102 heifers averaged $1549.

Topping the Murray Grey section at $1950 was a line of nine well-grown heifers offered by volume vendors the Roberts family, KS & EN Roberts, when they were purchased by return buyers Rick and Helen Weight, FH Weight & Co, Youngs Siding, with the assistance of Landmark Albany representative Michael Lynch.

The heifers have been sychronised AI-mated to Limousin sire Unison F29 and have a 20-day calving period starting January 20.

Mr Weight, who has been buying Murray Grey-Friesian heifers for the last seven years from the Roberts family, said the pen of heifers stood out as they were extremely quiet and were well-boned.

The Weights run 110 first-cross breeders which are all mated to Limousin sires for baby beef production.

This year they sold their first draft of calves on November 7, with the 19 head averaging 400kg at 10 months.

The Roberts also sold a pen of nine heifers with the same mating details, for $1650 to MR Payne Family Trust, Karridale, and a line of five head, which had been mated to Limousin sire Unison F29 and are due to calve from January 20 to March 17, for $1725 to regular buyer at the sale MJ Wringe & Son, Kirup.

Also receiving good money for their heifers was LM & EA Crouch, Nannup, who sold two pens of seven both at $1675 to Michael Munroe, Bunbury and AG & KP Carroll, Nannup.

Both lines of heifers have been mated to Angus bulls and are due to calve from January 24 to April 18.

There was only one multiple buyer in the Murray Grey section and that was PP & B Smith, Busselton, who purchased two pens of nine, at $1475.

The first pen was offered by GA & MJA Chapman, Busselton, while the second pen was offered by Elgin Park, Elgin.

p Hereford-Friesian

The small yarding of 25 Hereford-Friesian were keenly sought after by buyers and averaged $1797.

The top for this section was $1975 and this was achieved by the Brooks family with three red and white heifers.

Not far behind this pen were two pens of black and white heifers also offered by the Brooks family when they sold at $1825 to Kim Dunnet, OM Dunnet & Co.

Both pens of heifers have been mated to Monterey and Blackrock Angus bulls and due to calve from January 26 to April 13.

Also selling in the Hereford-Friesian section was P & T Curulli & Son, who sold a draft of six black and white beauties to A & A Rodi, Tuart Hill, for $1675.

p Charolais-Friesian

Two pens of Charolais-Friesian heifers were offered in this year's sale totalling 15 head.

Both pens, which were offered by the Roberts family, found new homes and sold for an average of $1660 and to a top of $1800.

Paying the $1800 top price for a pen of eight head was return buyer BR & DR Marsh, Alexandra Bridge.

The other pen of seven sold for $1500 to JVE Tuckey, Coolup.

Both pens of heifers have been synchronised AI-mated to Monterey Ghetto Blaster G15 and backed up by the same bull. They have an eight week calving period starting January 20.