SUMMER is upon us and it’s the time of year beef producers start thinking about sourcing their replacement breeders for next year’s joining.
The beef female selling season traditionally kicks off with the Elders Boyanup Supreme Springing Heifer Sale and is a marked event in many South West cattle producers’ calendar.
It will be held at the Boyanup saleyards on Friday, December 14, 2018, starting at 11.30am.
And sticking with tradition, the sale catalogue of 815 PTIC heifers will again feature quality first cross maiden females the fixture has built its reputation on over its 28-year history.
Sale co-ordinators Michael Carroll and Robert Gibbings place paramount importance on quality control when inspecting and selecting the bucket-reared, first cross heifers.
All heifers in the sale are out of dairy dams and carry a vendor guarantee for a 10-week joining period and a maximum calving period of 12 weeks.
They are also pregnancy tested in calf by a veterinarian not before November 1 and are accompanied by a pregnancy certificate.
All heifers have been ear notch tested free of persistent infection (PI) of Pestivirus by a vet since November 1.
Mr Carroll said this year’s line-up of first cross heifers are superb in quality and look outstanding coming off the back of a season that started very late.
“The vendors have done an exceptional job of preparing the heifers especially for this sale and have set the standard for some really first class future breeders,” Mr Carroll said.
“Calves are now being sold from cows and heifers from previous years Elders Supreme Heifer sales and are selling very well with decent weights and good returns”.
“As always the Elders Supreme Springing Heifer sale comes with its guarantees for purchasers.
“All of the heifers have passed a Pestivirus ear notch test giving buyers peace of mind.
“And several vendors this year have treated their heifers with 7in1 and Pestigard, giving purchasers further assurance.
“Total numbers are up almost 100 head compared to last year’s sale.”
This year’s catalogue will consist of 750 Angus-Friesian heifers, 24 Murray Grey-Friesian heifers, 22 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 15 Murray Grey-Aussie Red heifers and five Murray Grey-Montbeliarde heifers, all AI or naturally mated to Angus or Limousin sires.
Original sale vendors Michael and Lorretta Roberts and family, KS & EN Roberts & Son, Elgin, will offer the largest individual draft of 219 heifers at the sale.
Their draft will consist of mainly Angus-Friesian heifers with 168 nominated while the balance is made up of 24 Murray Grey-Friesian, 22 Hereford-Friesian and 5 Angus-Montbeliarde heifers.
The Roberts family is the only vendor to feature a selection of synchronised AI mated heifers, giving buyers the opportunity to select heifers with a tighter 20-day calving period.
The synchro mated numbers include 110 PTIC Angus-Friesian, 15 Murray Grey-Friesian and 15 Hereford-Friesian heifers, mated to the proven Limousin bull Unison Gong G31 and due to calve from January 20 to February 9, 2019.
The balance of the Roberts’ draft - 58 PTIC Angus-Friesian, nine Murray Grey-Friesian and seven Hereford-Friesian - were joined naturally to Limousin sires and are due to calve from February 10 to March 31 in a seven week calving.
The Angus-Montbeliarde heifers will calve from January 25 for nine weeks.
Nannup producers Lyndon and Beth Crouch, LM & EA Crouch, will be another of the sale’s volume vendors with a draft of 95 first cross heifers.
The Crouch consignment consists of 80 Angus-Friesian and 15 Murray Grey-Aussie Red heifers.
All the Crouch heifers were purchased in as unmated heifers and prepared and joined especially for the sale.
The heifers have been joined to Diamond Tree Angus bulls and will have a 12 week calving from February 2 to April 27.
Keith and Alison Jilley, KL & AJ Jilley, Boyanup, have been producing first cross heifers since 1973 and will be another prominent vendor with a total draft of 90 Angus-Friesian heifers nominated for this year’s sale.
The former dairy farmers select a specific type of heifer from non-Jersey dairy herds throughout the South West at various unjoined first cross female sales resulting in a big line of very even heifers.
The Jilley’s heifers have been mated to Unison Limousin sires and have a tighter 10-week calving period from February 1 to April 13.
The next biggest individual draft of heifers will come from the Yornup paddocks of Dr J Rosenthal.
The Rosenthals will offer a total of 70 Angus-Friesian heifers at the sale with all heifers joined to Limousin bulls and due to calve from February 7 to April 24 for an 11-week calving period.
Vendors at the sale for 25 years, Bernard and Roma Ridley, BW & RB Ridley, Brunswick, will offer their annual consignment of 68 Angus-Friesian heifers.
The heifers have been joined to Sheron Farms Angus bulls and are due to calve from February 7 to April 18 in a 10-week calving.
A preliminary pregnancy test undertaken six weeks after joining showed 68 of 69 heifers were in calf.
The Ridley’s heifers were sourced from local dairies as unjoined heifers, both on-farm and at Boyanup sales.
The extremely quiet cattle are handled a lot during mating while there is a strong emphasis also placed on temperament when selecting the heifers.
The Chapman family, GA & MJA Chapman, Busselton, return to the sale with another large draft of 62 Angus-Friesian heifers.
The heifers have all been AI mated and backed up to Esslemont Angus bulls.
The owner-bred heifers are due to start calving from February 4 through until May 1 for a 12 week calving.
MJ & HE Harris, Waterloo, have nominated 42 Angus-Friesian heifers for the sale.
The majority of the consignment (38 heifers) will calve to Angus bulls for 11 weeks from February 1 to April 18 while four heifers will calve later in the year to Angus bulls from April 3 to June 11 for 10 weeks.
Nigel Love and Vanessa Roche, NR Love & VJ Roche, Pemberton, return for their fifth year at the sale with a total draft of 40 Angus-Friesian heifers.
The heifers are PTIC to Angus bulls and due to calve from January 25 to April 20 for a 12-week calving period.
Dairy producers AJ Milner, Busselton, will offer 40 owner-bred Angus-Friesian heifers which are PTIC to Blackrock Angus bulls and due to calve from January 22 to April 9.
Well-known mated first cross heifer producers, AJ & WJ Ryan, Manjimup, will make their Elders Springing Heifer Sale debut this year.
The Ryans will offer 37 PTIC Angus-Friesian heifers that were AI mated and backed up to Angus bulls and due to calve from January 21 to April 14 for a 12 week joining.
Regular sale vendors VJ & JA Lorkiewicz, Nannup, will offer 24 owner-bred Angus heifers.
The heifers, which are sired by Blackrock Angus bulls, are PTIC to Diamond Tree Angus bulls and have a 12-week calving from February 9 to May 2.
Also offering 24 Angus-Friesian heifers is RC & CD Barbetti & Sons, Waterloo.
The owner-bred heifers are PTIC to a Unison Limousin bull and due to calve from February 6 to April 17 for 10 weeks.
Other Angus-Friesian heifer vendors in the sale include JM & ME Craigie, Harvey, Elgin Dairies, Elgin and ED & NJ Manning & Son, Harvey.