IN what is shaping up to be a tough bull selling season, the Blackrock Angus stud, Vasse, bucked the trend of recent sales last week at Boyanup, achieving a similar result to last year in terms of both prices and clearances.
When the final result of the sale is compared to others at the end of the season, it will once again be one of the strongest, ensuring another fitting result for the MacLeay family.
The family yarded an outstanding catalogue of 60 bulls that reflected the stud's breeding focus on docility, fertility, growth and with more than 50 buyer registrations, consisting of both stud and commercial producers from Coomberdale and Badgingarra in the north through to Esperance in the south east chasing the Blackrock genetics there was solid buying support right through the sale.
This strong buying support from start to finish meant the Elders selling team had very little trouble finding new homes for the Blackrock bulls and prices hit a high of $12,000.
When Elders auctioneer Don Morgan knocked down the last bull, the stud had cleared 55 of the 60 bulls offered for a gross of $342,500, at an average of $6227.
The figures meant the average was back just $27 on last year, while the number of bulls sold was just six less.
In last year's sale the stud offered 63 bulls and sold 61 to a top of $15,000 and an average of $6254.
As part of the offering the stud again gave buyers the chance to purchase yearling bulls, offering four youngsters and they all sold at $4000.
Mr Morgan said it was another very good, solid sale for the MacLeay family.
"Once again there was strong support from both return commercial and stud buyers throughout the State, who come back year after year chasing the Blackrock genetics because they know they will perform," Mr Morgan said.
"Given how other Angus sales have panned out already this year, this is a very good result and up on expectations in terms of both prices and clearance.
"The prices were solid throughout while the clearance was exceptional if you look at other sale results.
"The bulls presented extremely well throughout and it was a very even line-up of bulls backed up by some very good figures and as a result buyers responded accordingly in their bidding."
With an extremely even line-up of bulls throughout, there were a number of bulls which could have sparked strong buyer interest, but in the end it was Blackrock P136 (AI) in lot 11 which attracted the most attention from buyers.
Mr Morgan took an opening bid of $8000 on the soft, well-muscled sire and from there the price quickly rose, surpassing the five-figure mark as he received bids from a number of interested parties.
In the end it was return buyers Sam and Michael Collard, Warringah Angus stud, Badgingarra, who came out on top when they had the final bid at $12,000.
The mid-March 2018-drop bull is an AI son of Granite Ridge Kaiser K26 and out of Blackrock J167, which is a grand daughter of Ardrossan Equator A241 on its sire's side.
Not only was P136 easy on the eye showing plenty of class, shape and thickness, it also had the figures to back it up, ranking highly in a number of traits.
It is in the top one per cent of the breed for mature cow weight (MCW) (+147), top 5pc for 200, 400 and 600-day weights (+59, +107 and +150), carcase weight (CWT) (+84), rib fat (+2) and rump fat (+2.5), top 10pc milk (+22) and heavy grass index (+$137) as well as top 15pc for the Angus breeding index (+$141) and docility (+18).
Michael Collard said P136 was the complete package and just stood out.
"We inspected the Blackrock bulls on-property last month, we hadn't picked him out on his figures but just picked him out in the paddock," Mr Collard said.
"He is a well put-together bull with good shape and structure.
"He also had all the things we chase in terms of figures including good early growth, docility and positive fats.
"We were also looking for a new bloodline for our herd and he ticked that box as well."
P136 will be used in the Warringah stud herd, which consists of 60 breeders, over heifers and young cows, to breed bulls to use in the 300-head commercial breeding herd as well as sell.
Mr Collard said one of reasons they were looking for a bull with good early growth (high 200-day weight) was because they turn bull calves bred in their commercial herd off at five to six months old to live export, while the majority of their heifers are kept as replacements.
Prices broke the five-figure mark for a second time when Blackrock P64 entered the ring in lot 25.
Mr Morgan fielded plenty of bids on the Karoo Knockout K176 son, but in the end it was Bowie Beef farm manager Matt Fairbrass, Bridgetown, with the assistance of Elders Busselton representative Clint Gartrell, who prevailed and took the bull home at $10,500 - the sale's second top price.
In the ring the bull showed off plenty of muscle and softness to back up its good spread of figures.
It ranks in the top 5pc of the breed for MCW (+130), top 15pc for 200-day weight (+54) and rib fat (+1.1) plus top 20pc for 600-day weight (+126), CWT (+71), EMA (+7.7), docility (+16), Angus Breeding index (+$134) and heavy grainfed index (+$149).
Mr Fairbrass said P64 was a big, square bull with good growth and carcase figures.
"He has a moderate birth figure to go with growth figures (200, 400 and 600-day weight) in the top 25pc," Mr Fairbrass said.
"We were also chasing his Karoo Knockout bloodline as we are wanting something new for the herd.
"Our aim will be to use him over older cows in the herd to breed replacement females."
Along with securing P64 the Bridgetown operation, which returned to buy at Blackrock last year, after a few years' absence, purchased another Karoo Knockout K176 son at $8750 and a Booroomooka Genius G120 son at $5500, under the hammer.
The Knockout son, Blackrock P208, ranks in the top 10pc of the breed for scrotal size, EMA and rib fat, while the Genius son, Blackrock P129 is in the top 5pc for rib and rump fat.
Mr Fairbrass said the operation was looking at joining 900 Angus breeders, including heifers, this season.
"We will use Angus bulls for the first six weeks in the herd to breed our replacement females, and then run Charolais bulls in the herd for the final three weeks to get a bit of punch in the later calves," Mr Fairbrass said.
The third highest price was $9750, achieved when a son of Clunie Range Legend L348, Blackrock P103, was knocked down to NW Knowles & Co, Kojonup.
The upstanding sire which impressed with its muscling is in the top 5pc for rib fat and is below average for birthweight and well above average for growth.
Also heading to the Kojonup operation at $6000 was a Granite Ridge Kaiser K26 son which had growth EBVs of +55, +97 and +127 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights which all rank in the top 20pc of the breed.
Return buyers the Darlow family, Darlow Pastoral, Condingup, who were bidding with the assistance of Landmark Brindley & Chatley, Esperance agent Darren Chatley, also purchased a sire for more than $9000.
They bid to $9250 for Blackrock P61, which has positive rib and rump fats and is a son of Karoo Knockout K176.
The operation also paid $7250 for a Granite Ridge Kaiser K26 son, Blackrock P5.
Along with supporting the Darlows in their bidding, Mr Chatley also carried the bidding card for another long-term client the Fowler family, Chilwell, Condingup, that has been buying from Blackrock for more than 10 years.
Mr Chatley purchased four bulls for the Chilwell account to a top of $6000 and an average of $5625.
But Mr Chatley and Chilwell were pipped for the title of the sale's volume buyer by Knud Nymann, Nymann Strathaven, Wellstead and Gnowangerup, who finished the sale with six bulls to a top of $7250 and an average of $6208.
Mr Nymann paid $7250 for a Granite Ridge Kaiser K26 son, Blackrock P4, which was noted in the catalogue to have a high calving ease and a moderate mature cow weight (+98).
Mr Nymann said they purchased from the stud for the first time last year as they were looking for a change of genetics for their pure Angus herd and they couldn't be happier.
"This year I was specifically selecting bulls to join to heifers, so I was wanting the standard characteristics including a good calving ease," Mr Nymann said.
The operation, which runs its cattle at Wellstead, is this year looking at joining 400 breeders for an April/May calving.
Mr Nymann said they aimed to turn their calves off at six to 12 months old at between 300-400kg.
Also bidding up strongly on the offering was Geoff Keilman, Lilyvale Grazing, Pinjarra, who like Mr Nymann, was buying from the stud for a second time, chasing outcross bloodlines.
Mr Keilman purchased three bulls at an average of $6167 and to a top of $7000 paid for a Millah Murrah Kingdom K35 son which is in a top 5pc for docility.
Mr Keilman, who runs 360 Angus breeders, said he was chasing bulls in the sale with a moderate maturity pattern, a good frame and plenty of depth.
"The bulls we purchased last year have grown out really well but the thing that has impressed me the most and what I really like is the temperament of the Blackrock bulls," he said.
"It was something that stood out straight away with the bulls that we purchased last year, they are just so quiet and these seem no different."
Other buyers to secure three bulls were return buyers Mark and Pamella Wood, MA & PK Wood, Green Range, who paid to a high of $7500 and averaged $6000 and McLarty Bros, Pinjarra, which averaged $4583 across its team which topped at $5750.
The four yearling bulls were snapped up by three buyers all at $4000.
Crendon Irrigation, Donnybrook, purchased two, while T Tate & Co, Margaret River and the WA College of Agriculture, Narrogin, Collegian stud, which both also purchased a two-year-old bull during the sale, purchased one each.
