THE Landmark south west team will kick off this season's female sales when it hosts its Boyanup Mated First-cross Female Sale next month.
The sale, scheduled for Thursday, December 5, 2019, commencing at 11.30am at the Boyanup saleyards will be a must for anyone looking for quality, mated, first-cross heifers.
This prestigious female sale will not disappoint intending buyers as the sale will feature an exceptional line-up of 450 PTIC genuine, first-cross, bucket-reared heifers, with their whole breeding lives ahead of them.
A third of the heifers catalogued for the sale are owner-bred and are from South West dairy operations, while the balance were purchased from Landmark's unmated female sale in January this year.
Angus-Friesian heifers will dominate the yarding with 390 head on offer, but for those looking for something other than Angus there will also be 31 SimAngus-Friesians, 16 Murray-Grey Friesians and 12 Angus-Montbeliarde-Friesians on offer.
The quality of the offering cannot be questioned, as all the heifers to be offered in this sale have been specially selected on conformation, style and femininity to ensure a quality line-up will be presented at auction by sale co-coordinators Matt Watts and Ralph Mosca.
Growers can also buy with confidence in regards to the pregnancy and health status of the heifers as all heifers featured in the sale have been ear-notch tested from persistent infection (PI) of pestivirus, a Landmark initiative that has been running for three years for all of the Landmark female sales.
All heifers are vendor guaranteed PTIC within 30 days of the sale.
Mr Watts said the heifers on offer in this year's sale were of outstanding quality and will present in excellent condition despite a below average season in most areas.
"When selecting the heifers for the sale we were very impressed by the style, femininity and excellent temperaments shown by the heifers put forward by the vendors," Mr Watts said.
"They are certainly showing plenty of bloom and are in good order.
"Growers intending to purchase replacement females for other cow/calf programs will not be disappointed with the superb line which will be presented in the first mated first-cross female sale of the season.
"I encourage anyone looking for mated first-cross heifers to attend the sale."
Leading the offering will be a very special Angus-Friesian heifer, the Black Dog Ride charity heifer, Clementine III and all of its sale proceeds will be donated to the Black Dog Ride.
Clementine III was donated to the Black Dog Ride cause by the Daubney family, Bannister Downs dairy, Northcliffe and has been prepared for the sale by Peter and Judy Milton, Dardanup.
Mr Milton said he picked the heifer up from Bannister Downs just after it was weaned in early 2018 and since then it has seen plenty of the State.
Over its time with the Miltons the heifer has been to not only mine sites in the south of the State, the IGA Perth Royal Show, schools, Lions Club meetings, shopping centres and barbecues on the beach, but also as far north as Wyndam and Kununurra, all with the aim of helping to start the conversation and raise the awareness of the importance of mental health in people of all ages.
Clementine III was AI'd to Limousin sire Hammertime by Landmark Breeding's Steve Mountford in May with semen donated by the Nettleton family, Unison stud, Boyanup.
It was then run with Hammertime at the Nettleton family's property, as a back up to the AI program.
Clementine III is due to calve from February 6 to June 19.
Landmark Breeding donated its services and semen for the AI program and as part of the sale Landmark will also waive all selling costs to ensure all the money Clementine III is sold for goes to the Black Dog Ride.
All females in the sale will be tagged with Landmark management sale tags, with lot/pen number and individual number displayed on the front of the tag, for ease of identification for buyers in future years.
Catalogues will have been sent via post to past and new buyers and are available from the Landmark Bunbury and Manjimup branches for interested producers.
Prospective buyers can also view videos of the heifers on offer in the sale on youtube by searching 'Landmark Bunbury'.
The biggest vendor in the sale will be regular seller of mated females Candyup Farms, Benger.
The operation will present 63 Angus-Friesian heifers and eight Murray Grey-Friesian heifers which were all purchased in, from Landmark's Boyanup unmated female sales.
The quiet, roomy heifers were all synchronised AI'd to black Limousin bull Balamara Now or Never, then backed up by the same bull and are due to calve from January 25 to April 5.
In the past six weeks the heifers have received a B12 and Selenium and 7in1 treatments and a Eprinex drench.
Regular sale vendors the Haddon family, NL & E Haddon, Yoongi Downs dairy, Busselton, will again be one of the biggest vendors in the sale with a big draft of Angus-Friesian heifers.
The Haddons will present 56 Angus-Friesian heifers which have all been bred and raised in their dairy operation.
The well-grown, bucket-reared, owner-bred heifers are PTIC to low birthweight Esslemont Angus bulls and are due to calve from February 1 to April 20.
The Haddon's herd is J-BAS 8 accredited and the heifers have had their annual 7in1 vaccination.
Myalup-based operation Shorescape Holdings and Meade Grazing, Balingup, will both present more than 50 Angus-Friesian heifers in the catalogue.
Regular sale vendor Shorescape Holdings' offering will consist of 51 Angus-Friesian heifers which were all purchased-in from Landmark's unmated sale in January.
These heifers are all PTIC to Sheron Farm Angus bulls and are due to calve from February 1 to April 9.
Meade Grazing, which will be offering heifers for the first time in the sale, will truck in 50 Angus-Friesian heifers that were from Landmark's unmated sale and privately from South West dairy operations.
This line of heifers were joined to Unison Limousin bulls and are due to calve from February 4 to April 23.
In terms of health treatments the heifers have had 7in1, Multimin and Cobalife VB12.
Coming in from the Cookernup area will be 38 Angus-Friesian heifers from regular vendors the MacDonald family, KM, EJ & LK MacDonald.
The extremely quiet heifers were purchased at Landmark's unmated sale last season and prepared for this fixture.
They were joined to a Willendaise Limousin bull and are due to calve from February 1 to April 2.
They are also up to date with their health treatments after being drenched with Eprinex and receiving a 7in1 on November 6.
Fellow return vendors Gary, Tracey and Jake Ryan, Goodonga Farms, Manjimup, will also feature in the Angus-Friesian run with an offering of 30 heifers.
The Angus-Friesian heifers were purchased at Landmark's unmated female sale last season and were synchronised AI'd to a black Limousin bull and then backed up by the same bull in the paddock.
Twenty of theheifers that were successfully AI'd are due on January 25 while the remaining 10 are due to calve from February 15 to March 19.
Former dairy farmers Joe, Peter and Tony Italiano, R & C Italiano & Sons, Wokalup, who have previously sold unmated heifers, will offer 21 extremely quiet Angus-Friesian heifers.
The owner-bred heifers, which are sired by Blackrock Angus bulls, are PTIC to a Melville Park Angus bull and have a calving period of February 1 to April 3.
The Noakes family, Chapman Brook, Karridale, will again truck up a line of black, owner-bred heifers for the sale.
This year the operation will offer 23 Angus-Friesians and 12 Angus-Montbeliarde-Friesian heifers, which were all bred in their J-BAS 8 accredited dairy operation.
Both lines are PTIC to Diamond Tree Angus and Jutland Park Red Angus bulls and are due to calve from January 30 to April 2.
Capel-based operation Kelly Brae, is again on the vendor list and this year will offer 24 Angus-Friesian heifers.
The heifers, which were purchased in at Landmark's Boyanup unmated sale in January, are carrying calves sired by Cherylton Angus bulls, which are due from January 14 to March 20.
When the bulls were put in with the heifers, the heifers were synchronised needled, therefore it is hoped the heifers will calve in a tight time period.
When it comes to health treatments the heifers have received Multimin and 7in1 and have been drenched with Eclipse.
For buyers looking for something that isn't an Angus-Friesian cross then 31 SimAngus-Friesian heifers from first time vendors KJ & SM Gardiner, Bridgetown, may tick the box.
The well-grown heifers on offer from the Gardiners are all owner-bred from the family's dairy operation which is J-BAS 8 accredited.
They are by Bonnydale SimAngus bulls and will calve down Bonnydale SimAngus sired calves from February 2 to March 31 after being synchronised AI'd and backed up by a SimAngus bull from Bonnydale.
In terms of health treatments the heifers have been drenched with Eclipse and received a Multimin treatment in the past month.
Along with the Murray Grey-Friesian heifers on offer from Candyup Farms, G & J Foan will offer eight grey heifers.
These heifers are PTIC to a Limousin bull and due to calve from February 2 to March 31.
