MORDALLUP Angus reversed COVID-19's usual negative impacts to record an outstanding result at the stud's annual yearling bull sale at Boyanup last week.
Amid the crisis, the Muir family decided to move the sale forward a week with Mordallup stud principal Mark Muir saying the pandemic's fluid nature threw them into a situation that was difficult to envisage.
There were fewer people in attendance and a different sale scene compared to previous years with sale co-ordinators Nutrien Livestock adhering to strict saleyard codes of operation.
But with a top catalogue of 56 well-grown yearling bulls featuring new and trusted genetics and 52 buyers registered for the sale and plenty of activity on AuctionsPlus, the sale returned to some sort of normality when the Nutrien Livestock selling team kicked proceedings off.
Under the gavel control of auctioneers Tiny Holly and James Culleton, increased buying support and the introduction of the online platform saw the duo easily clear all bar one bull at auction to average a solid $7082.
Clearance and returns were markedly improved from last year's sale where 47 of 58 bulls (81 per cent) sold under the hammer to average $5989, with the gross up by $108,000 and $1093 in average this year.
AuctionsPlus received 1500 catalogue views and led to 40 registered buyers logging into the sale from throughout Australia (34 users logged in to view the auction) which yielded 132 online bids and 12 bulls purchased for an average of $7625, with bulls heading to Victoria and throughout WA from Esperance to Eneabba.
Mordallup stud principal Mark Muir said the family was amazed with the sale outcome given the current circumstances.
"Nutrien Livestock had a good plan in place for buyers attending the sale to feel safe and we appreciate the huge effort by the Nutrien team," Mr Muir said.
"It was the first time we have used AuctionsPlus and were very pleased how it operated and the number of buyers happy to use it.
"The sale results were well above expectation and we are humbled in the way people supported us with a good mix of existing and new buyers operating.
"As word gets around on how good our yearling bulls are performing, cattle people are happy to continue with or try yearling bulls."
Nutrien Livestock Bridgetown agent Ben Cooper said with the current COVID-19 challenges, it was very rewarding to see such a successful sale for the Muir family.
"A lot of thanks needs to go to Leon Giglia and Nutrien Livestock management for their efforts in keeping our livestock trade in WA moving," Mr Cooper said.
"Very grateful for the support from loyal returned buyers that have been the backbone for the stud over so many years.
"It was pleasing to get very good support from first-time buyers, including some new Eastern States accounts, and see Mordallup genetics going into new areas."
The sale's $16,000 top price eventuated with plenty of interest from buyers on Mordallup Beastmode Q59 penned in lot 11 before thinning down to Nutrien Livestock southern manager Bob Pumphrey, representing Tomlinson Ag, Kalgan and Matt Kitchen, Carenda Angus stud, Katanning.
Mr Pumphrey eventually prevailed with the final bid on the 651kg early March 2019-drop son of USA sire Baldridge Beastmode B74 and is the maiden calf of a Mordallup Vision daughter.
The stylish youngster recorded some impressive performance on Breedplan with growth intervals and mature cow weight (mcw) ranking in the breed's top one to four per cent, top 2pc feed efficiency (NFI-F), top 13pc carcase weight (CW), top 12pc retail beef yield (RBY) and inside the top 20pc for domestic and heavy grass indexes.
Mr Pumphrey said the bull would be used over a nucleus herd of 45 of the top performing breeders to breed working bulls for Wayne and Johanna Tomlinson's Angus breeding herd of around 750 females.
"Obviously it's a new bloodline for the Tomlinson family's herd," he said.
"It's a very good bull, very structurally correct, quiet and with good figures."
Manning the AuctionsPlus bids, Nutrien Livestock stud and commercial cattle manager Paul Mahony was kept busy throughout the sale, bidding to the sale's $15,000 second top price for Mordallup Bakadjoo Q181.
While AuctionsPlus buyers aren't mentioned, Farm Weekly was given permission to report the bull was purchased by consistent interstate buyers Chumpot Pastoral, Cudgewa, Victoria.
The 636kg late March 2019-drop bull was by a SAV Harvestor 338 son Mordallup Moorook L141 and was described in the catalogue as "one hell of a bull".
It recorded an even spread of figures without being extreme for traits, but did rank in the top 4pc for NFI-F, top 10pc MCW, top 15pc rump fat and top 24-26pc for 200 and 600-day weights.
Chumpot Pastoral purchased a further three bulls at the sale on AuctionsPlus.
Tomasi Grazing manager Kevin Owen, Karridale, got the sale off to a belter, paying the sale's $13,000 equal third top price for the first bull into the ring followed by an $11,000 bid for the next bull offered.
Both bulls were by Beastmode, but it was lot one that shone in its performance data.
Out of a SAV Angus Valley 1867 sired heifer's first calf, the 624kg bull ranked in the top 1pc for all weight intervals and MCW, top 4pc gestation length and top 1-8pc for all indexes.
Mr Owen said the bulls represented a new bloodline for the predominantly Mordallup-based Angus herd and would be used over the herd's 100 replacement heifers in this year's joining.
"It's the first year we are self-replacing all females with our owner-bred heifers as we push herd numbers to 400 females," he said.
"We run the herd like a stud and breed some of our own working bulls.
"We have had such a good run out of the Mordallup bulls, we can't fault them.
"And we have developed a good relationship with the Muir family over the years and the quality of the bulls keeps us coming back."
But Mr Owen's top-end buying didn't stop there.
Representing return interstate buyers Harris Farms, Victoria, over the phone, Mr Owen paid the same price tags for lots six and seven at $11,000 and $13,000 respectively.
The first bull was another mid-March 2019 drop son of Moorook L141 and a strong Mordallup bred dam, while the following bull was born late March 2019 to a SAV Thurderbird 9061 son Mordallup Thunder H131 and a Braveheart Of Stern sired daughter.
Other bulls that were knocked down for five figures at the sale included $12,500 paid by an AuctionsPlus buyer for a 664kg late February 2019 drop-son of USA sire SAV Renown 3439.
Donnybrook producers Raven-Jay Holdings secured the services of another Moorook L141 son weighing 564kg with a winning $10,500 bid and moments earlier new buyers at the sale Quahlea Cattle, Esperance, paid $10,000 for a 606kg lower birthweight son of USA sire WWA Black Onyx 5Q11.
Nutrien Livestock Bridgetown agent Ben Cooper was kept busy during the sale filling a few orders for his clients, totalling 10 bulls at auction and the solitary overlooked bull costing from $4000 to $7500.
Nutrien Livestock Donnybrook representative Dean Taaffe, armed with an interstate order, collected four bulls costing from $4000 to $7000 for Murroka Pty Ltd, Victoria, to take the number of bulls from the sale heading to Victoria to 10.
A number of buyers put together teams of two bulls at the sale.
These included Scott River Trading, Karridale ($6500 and $7000), Spring Creek Grazing Company, Tenterden, ($6500 and $7000), P & F Giadresco, Gelorup, ($7000 and $8500), Yondalee Farms, Boyup Brook, ($5000 and $6000) and Dwalganup Grazing, Bunbury, ($5000 and $6000).
