HEIFERS stole the limelight at the Liberty Charolais stud’s second annual yearling bull and female sale following the Muchea Livestock Centre’s weekly trade cattle sale on Monday.
The rare offering of stud heifers from the heart of the Yost family’s Liberty herd attracted strong interest from WA Charolais stud and nucleus breeders but it came down to two producers that were prepared to go the extra yard for the special offering.
Mark and Rose King, Spring Valley Charolais stud, Donnybrook, outpointed Trevor Kanny, Bonegilla Grazing, Walkaway, with the $6500 top-priced bid on the first stud heifer offered, Liberty Mississippi M30E.
The outstanding late March 2016 born calf was the first heifer by Liberty Just Ramblin Along to be offered by Liberty.
Out of Liberty Eye Got You, the classy heifer displayed a good spread of above average EBVs for growth, milk, carcase and fat traits.
Mark and Rose said they had purchased Liberty females in the past, including the top-priced heifer at last year’s sale, they and were performing in their herd.
The polled heifer is set to be AI’d to USA sire M6 Gridmaker in the coming joining.
“She is just so correct, we liked her from the start,” they said.
“Cattle like this don’t get offered for sale too often so if you want the best you have to pay for them.”
The Kings also purchased one of the three semen packages offered for $200 and with the heifer, provides some fresh genetics to their herd.
The semen package included two straws from French sire D’Angely and four straws from USA sire Baldridge Fasttrack.
Trevor Kanny went on to secure the next two stud heifers for $5500 and $5000.
The first was an early April 2016 drop polled ET-bred daughter of Cedardale Yellowstone and 12-year-old matron Liberty A Great Gal that displayed strong EBVs in the breed’s top 5-15pc for all weight intervals, gestation length, carcase weight (CWT), EMA, fats and northern terminal index (NTI).
The Kanny’s other purchase was the first daughter of low birthweight sire Kooyong Jackson to be offered by Liberty. The below average birthweight, polled mid-April 2016 born heifer displayed exceptional EBVs featuring the top 1pc for NTI and top 5pc for all other indexes, growth, CWT and all fats.
As new additions to a small nucleus Charolais herd, the heifers will be AI mated to Liberty Just Ramblin Along to breed working bulls to go over the Kanny family’s older Angus breeders.
While two fewer stud heifers sold this year, the $5667 average was well up on last year’s sale where all five heifers sold to average $1755.
Three lines of well-bred 13-14 month-old commercial Charolais and Charolais cross commercial heifers averaging 444kg got the sale underway.
A Planke, Bakers Hill, paid $1650 each for the first two pens containing five polled red factor Charolais heifers and five polled Charolais-Murray Grey cross heifers.
The pen of four Charbray heifers sold after the sale for $1500.
Commercial heifer values were up on last year’s sale where 10 heifers averaged $1475.
The Yost family presented a quality team of 22 well-grown yearling Charolais bulls but with selective buying support, these found the going a little tougher.
While values were around the mark compared to last year’s sale, the clearance on the increased catalogue took a hit with only half of the 22 bulls offered selling at auction to average $4023.
Last year 10 of 13 Charolais bulls sold to average $4150 while three of four Charbray bulls averaged $3250.
This leaves a number of quality yearling bulls still to find new homes and producers are encouraged to contact the Yost family.
Consistent Liberty bull buyer Darrol Crane, Craneford station, York, returned to pay the sale’s $6250 top bull price again this year for Liberty Marksman M49, the fifth bull catalogued.
The polled, late March 2016-born bull was the first of Kooyong Jackson’s sons to be offered and was out of Liberty Hocus Pocus.
Earmarked with stud sire potential by Liberty, the soft below average birthweight bull matched its outstanding carcase with excellent EBVs including the top 5pc for 200 and 400-day weights, IMF and all indexes and top 10pc for 600-day weight, CWT and fats.
The 578kg bull displayed mid-April raw scan data of 88cm2 EMA, 3.5pc IMF, 6mm P8 and rib fats and 36cm scrotal circumference (SC).
The Crane family has increased its self-replacing breeder numbers to 200 Charolais and Charolais-Murray Grey cross females.
It was the second purchase of yearling bulls for the Cranes, utilising the younger and more agile bulls for their hillier breakaway granite country at York that can be hard on heavier older bulls.
The Cranes also paid $3000 for a son of Liberty Just Ramblin Along.
The bulls will go straight to work over mature cows from June 1.
Calves are weaned around new year and finished in their own feedlot for three months on their home grown grain and hay from their large cropping program – their last draft of calves that sold to a local processor averaged 580kg.
The $6000 second top bull price was paid by Geoff Crabb, Giovi Limited, Dongara, for Liberty Masterstroke M81, a polled early May 2016-drop bull by Token Eatons Flagship.
The 672kg average birthweight, high milk bull scanned 8mm P8 and 6mm rib fats, 110cm2 EMA and 4.1pc IMF.
Simon Green, Primaries, representing A & E Epiro, Harvey, stocked up with three bulls at the sale paying from $3000 to $5500.
Their top bid went to the 638kg red factor bull in lot one Liberty Master N Chief.
The late March 2016-drop bull by Rangan Park Redemption scanned 8mm fats, 102cm2 EMA, 4.7pc IMF and 39cm SC with strong EBVs led by top 1pc for 400-day weight and top 5pc for CWT and IMF and top 10 to 20pc for other growth, fats, EMA and indexes.
Wayne Mitchell, Elders Albany, representing PM & CJ Wishart, Borden, bid from $3000 to $4000 for three bulls while the remaining two bulls went to Albany and Dardanup buyers.
