Diamond Tree dispersal tops at $7200

New stud owners Ian and Felicia Schwartz and their son Howard purchased the Diamond Tree stud in October last year from the Gandy family, Manjimup, who established it in 1986.

Unfortunately the Schwartzs were unable to find a suitable property to run the stud and were forced to sell the entire herd.

The first stage of the dispersal comprised of 277 PTIC herd book registered females ranging from rising three to 11-year-old cows.

A majority of the females were artificially inseminated in May to leading USA and Australian semen sires and backed up to top Diamond Tree bulls.

Most of the calves were recently weaned from the cows to be sold at a later date while a number of later calving females were sold with their calves at foot.

Two young stud sires rounded out the offering.

The sale was interfaced with AuctionsPlus and attracted widespread buying interest from WA and interstate, either attending the sale or logging into the sale online. But the bulk of the buying support came from astute commercial Angus breeders, mostly who were looking to add top females to nucleus breeding herds.

Limited top-end stud bidding involvement made for a buyer's market who relished the opportunity to source top Angus stud genetics at reasonable value.

Some selective buying throughout the sale did lead to 69 females being overlooked, however post sale negotiations resulted in the entire catalogue being sold.

After a four and a half hour sale marathon, the Landmark team, led by auctioneers Tiny Holly and John Wirth, cleared 208 of the 277 females and the two sires to gross $580,700.

The females sold to average $2753, while the two bulls averaged $4000.

The sale's $7200 top price was paid late in the sale for a mated cow and calf unit by Alf Lorkiewicz, White Valley Angus stud, Dardanup.

Penned in lot 264, Diamond Tree K53 was an AI bred 2014-drop female by popular Australian sire Ayrvale Bartel E7 and out of a KCF Bennett Performer daughter H99 and was PTIC to Diamond Tree Ten X L140.

The heifer calf at foot was by Diamond Tree Mentor K195.

The average birthweight female had an excellent spread of EBVs in the breed's top 10 to 15 per cent for most recorded traits and indices including top five per cent for milk (+23), carcase weight (+72) and domestic index (+118).

Mr Lorkiewicz said they had been looking to increase their Angus stud numbers with top quality stud females.

He said the milk and growth figures of the female were strong buying points and he was impressed with its sire after viewing it on the internet.

"She was among the top cows for milk in the sale and had high 200, 400 and 600-day weights," Mr Lorkiewicz said.

"We only went for females with heifer calves to further increase our numbers.

"We also purchased one of the higher-priced females at the Coonamble Angus stud reduction sale and will probably look to AI them to USA sires for the next joining.

"We also have a Red Angus stud but we will be moving towards more black cattle."

Together with his son Ryan, Mr Lorkiewicz purchased another two younger cows with heifer calves for $3400 and $4800.

The $6000 second top price was paid by NHA & RL Stoney, Redmond, for lot five containing Diamond Tree Trust H26.

H26 is a AI-bred mid-February 2012-drop female by USA sire Sydgen Trust and out of homebred cow Right Time F4 and was AI'd to Quaker Hill Rampage on May 19 and run with Diamond Tree CC & 7 L136.

She displayed a strong balanced set of EBVs ranging from top five to 15pc for most recorded traits and indices with top five per cent rankings for gestation length (-8.1), 200-day weight (+51), EMA (+8.1) and domestic index (+118).

The Stoney family went on to secure another three PTIC females at the sale paying to $3800.

There were 20 registered bidders from WA, Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria who logged into the sale on AuctionsPlus with 105 guests viewing the sale.

The online activity resulted in 17 lots being purchased by three individual bidders.

The $5000 third top-priced bid was placed online for Diamond Tree Bartel K83, a late February 2014 born by Ayrvale Bartel E7 and out of a KCF Bennett Performer daughter H44.

K83 was AI joined to Quaker Hill Rampage on May 21, 2016, and run with Diamond Tree Performer L334 from May 4.

K83 displayed strong EBVs ranked in the top five to 20pc for most traits but these were overshadowed by trait leading figures for EMA (+10.3), domestic (+126) and heavy grass indices (+132).

Representing a couple of undisclosed orders, Brett Chatley, Landmark Manjimup, was by far the sale's volume buyer.

These orders culminated in the purchase of 68 PTIC females ranging from rising five to 11-year old cows, generally at reserve values.

Mr Chatley also had the task of buying three PTIC females for Eastern State's buyer Reliand Angus stud, Killimicat, New South Wales, who paid $3800 each for a 2014-drop female and a 2012-drop cow/calf unit and $2800 for a 2012-drop cow.

Neil McCormick, Shanakill Holdings, put together a team of 23 mixed age females at auction and added a further two 2009-drop cows following the sale paying from $1500 for young cattle to $2800 for 2012-drop cows.

Mr McCormick runs a herd of Angus-Friesian and Murray Grey breeders at his West Pinjarra property and is looking to significantly improve the quality of his herd with stud Angus genetics.

He said he would cull his herd heavily and with bull and heifers retained from the Diamond Tree calving and use future AI programs over the stud cows to fastrack the improvement.

"We are trying to meet the market requirements and Angus is the flavour of the day," Mr McCormick said.

"There was a quality product on offer today at reasonable prices."

Northcliffe graziers MG Armstrong were also among the sale's bigger accounts, paying from $2500 to $3600 for 23 PTIC females with the younger 2014-drop females making up half of their selections.

Jarrod Carroll, Rayview Park Pty Ltd, Manypeaks, finished the sale with 16 younger females including nine 2012-drop cows and seven 2014-drop females paying from $2500 to $3400.

Mr Carroll said they had been buying bulls from Diamond Tree for eight years and he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to source stud Angus females.

He said the Diamond Tree females would go into their operation's nucleus to breed herd bulls for their 800 commercial predominantly Angus breeders.

Other volume buyers at the sale included Guilderton graziers FL & MJ Dewar with 12 mainly young 2014-drop females paying to $3000 twice.

WJ & FJ Graham, Esperance, paid healthy values from $3200 up to $4600 for seven females with their top bid going to the 2012-drop Diamond Tree CC & 7 H88.

H88 was an AI-bred daughter by USA sire Sydgen CC & 7 that had been running with Diamond Tree Long Haul L49 from June 1 with outstanding EBVs including trait leading values for milk (+25) and 600-day weight (+134) and top five per cent for remaining growth and carcase weight.

Landmark Southern Livestock manager Bob Pumphrey paid $4200 for one of the sires, a March 1, 2014-born AI-bred son of Jarobee F119 while P & F Giadresco & Sons, Gelorup, paid $3800 for a son of AI sire Tuwharetoa Regent.