AFTER being cancelled last year due to seasonal conditions, the Narngulu Invitation Bos Indicus Bull Sale was back on the bull selling calendar last week, but it was unlike any other past sales.
Restrictions in place due to COVID-19 meant the number of people attending the sale was back and as a result the sale lacked the atmosphere and comaraderie of years gone by.
Unlike previous years where the selling team had their work cut out spotting bids right around the selling complex, this year the Nutrien Livestock selling team, led by auctioneers Tiny Holly and James Culleton, only had to keep their eyes on a handful of buyers, made up mostly of agents carrying buying orders and obeying social distancing rules.
All up five vendors offered 114 Droughtmaster and Brahman bulls in the sale and when the last one left the ring following just one and half hours of selling, 57 were headed to new homes at an average of $3518 and a top price of $5500 was paid for a Droughtmaster bull.
In comparison to the previous Narngulu bull sale held in 2018 there were 30 less bulls offered, 16 less sold and the average was back $366 from $3884.
Mr Holly said the final sale result, in terms of both clearances and prices, was disappointing and back on presale expectations.
"The bulls were a credit to the vendors," Mr Holly said.
"They presented very well and are ready to work, but unfortunately there just wasn't enough buyers chasing bulls.
"Buyers were selective throughout the sale in their buying and competition was mixed.
"The final result is probably understandable when you take into consideration the uncertainty the industry is facing in terms of not just markets and world conditions due to COVID-19 but also current and past seasonal conditions."
Droughtmaster
Droughtmaster bulls dominated the yarding with 93 bulls offered between two vendors - the Mutton family, Fieldhouse stud, Wickepin and Dick Vincent, De Grey Park stud, Capel.
By the end of the run nine different buyers had helped clear 49 of the 93 bulls offered for an average of $3602.
Not only did the breed dominate the yarding numbers, it also commanded the sale's $5500 top price when the first bull offered in the sale caught the attention of a couple of buyers.
Offered in lot one by the Fieldhouse stud, Fieldhouse 148 (P), attracted a flurry of bids after Mr Holly took an opening bid of $3000, but in the end it was Nutrien Livestock Pilbara/Gascoyne agent Shane Flemming who prevailed as the winning bidder.
When the bull was knocked down to him Mr Flemming announced return Fieldhouse clients of five years, Jim and Lorraine Dorrell, Clovermia Grazing, Mia Mia station, Carnarvon, as the buyers.
Mr Flemming said Fieldhouse 148 was an appealing bull.
"He caught my eye straight away and is a true to type Droughtmaster," Mr Flemming said.
"He is a well-balanced, soft-fleshing sire and the type of bull the operation looks for."
The well-muscled sire was dropped in May 2018 and is sired by Fieldhouse Perkins.
The Dorrells run a predominantly Droughtmaster herd which is currently made up of approximately 1900 breeders on their station which is 115 kilometres long, west to east, and is cut in half by the North West Highway.
Mr Dorrell said their breeders were back from 2500 head due to the past couple of dry seasons.
"On the western side of the highway the last rain we got there was 55mm in June 2019 and as a result we will start mustering there this week," Mr Dorrell said.
"Normally we run about 1200 breeders on that part of the station, but we are down to 900 now and we are planning to take off weaners which are more than 130-140kg when we muster, as there will be enough feed to maintain the breeds if we take their calves off.
"The eastern side of the property is looking better as it got 80mm of rain in January/February.
"Drought management is the key and we have cut off dates in place to manage the seasons and our cattle.
"We work our programs around these dates and one of those is mustering early if we have to.
"We are lucky at the moment that they have had some rain in the east and it is providing a market for our young cattle."
The Dorrells like running a Droughtmaster herd as it provides them market versatility when it comes to selling their cattle and because they are well-suited to the area.
"We can sell the progeny to live export markets but we also have market relationships with lotfeeders in the Wheatbelt as they are good, soft fleshing type cattle," Mr Dorrell said
"We also place a strong emphasis on fertility in our herd and we have found Droughtmasters also excel in this trait."
As part of keeping their herd fertile and young they run their cows through to nine years and then they are spayed and sold once their last calf is weaned.
Along with securing the top-priced bull for the Dorrells, Mr Flemming purchased another three bulls for the Dorrells from the Fieldhouse team at $5000 (equal second top price), $4000 and $3000.
Along with carrying a buying order for the Dorrells, Mr Flemming also had the responsibility of buying a large team of Droughtmaster bulls for Kim and Aggie Forrester, Winning station, Carnarvon.
He purchased 14 bulls for the Forresters from the Fieldhouse offering for between $3000 and $4000 for an average of $3357.
Mr Forrester said the Droughtmaster bulls would go to Cardabia station, Coral Bay, which they subleased when it rains.
"We run a predominantly Brahman/Charbray herd at Winning station, but Cardabia has a very good Droughtmaster herd on it so we decided to continue that on there," Mr Forrester said.
Mr Flemming said in selecting bulls for the Forresters he was looking for sires with softness and shape.
Nutrien Livestock Mid West representative Chad Smith also bid up strongly on the Fieldhouse offering on behalf of Middalya station, Carnarvon.
Mr Smith put together a team of five bulls for the station at an average of $4300 and included in the team was one of the sale's $5000 equal second top price bull.
The bull attracting the $5000 bid was the soft, well-muscled Fieldhouse 132 (P) which is a son of Glenlands D Ritual.
Regular sale buyer Liam Johns, Killara station, Meekatharra, was one of a few buyers to attend the sale in person and by sale's end he had secured five Fieldhouse bulls to a top of $4500 and an average of $3900.
Mr Johns said they normally ran about 3000 breeders on the station, but at the moment numbers were back due to the drought as they had sold and agisted a lot of their cattle.
"We got our biggest rainfall event in a number of years, probably since 2011/12 in February when Cyclone Damien went through, we got 140mm," Mr Johns said.
"However since then we have had no follow-up rains, which has been disappointing.
"There are some good areas on the station but in general it is pretty patchy."
Also attending the sale in person was first-time buyer Josh Pumpa, Murgoo station, Murchison, who was looking for Droughtmaster bulls to use in his herd of 650 Droughtmaster breeders.
Like Mr Johns, Mr Pumpa secured a team of five bulls from Fieldhouse paying $4000 for three bulls and $3000 for two.
Mardathuna station, Carnarvon, which runs a Droughtmaster cross herd, left its buying to Nutrien Livestock Gascoyne/Pilbara agent Richard Keach and he ensured it ended up with a team of Fieldhouse bulls.
By the time the last Fieldhouse bull left the ring Mr Keach had six bulls for Mardathuna all at $3000.
By the end of the Fieldhouse run 44 of the 84 offered by the stud had sold at an average of $3602.
Selling alongside Fieldhouse in the Droughtmaster run was Dick Vincent, De Grey Park stud, which offered nine sires and sold five under the hammer to a top of $4000 three times and an average of $3600.
The three $4000 top-priced De Grey Park bulls were all purchased by Elders Geraldton representative Gary Preston for Booylgoo Springs station, Sandstone.
The three bulls were dropped in March and April 2018 with two sired by De Grey Park Ingham V10081700 D5 and the other was a son of De Grey Park Dorimus V1012933 D5.
The other two De Grey Park bulls sold made $3000 each when they were knocked down to Winning station and Murgoo station.
Brahman
The Brahman offering was much smaller in number compared to the Droughtmaster with three regular sale vendors - the Charlesville stud, Southern Cross; Canterbury stud, New Norcia and Oakvale stud, Northampton, combining to offer 21 bulls.
Like the Droughtmaster offering, the Brahman offering lacked competition which resulted in only eight bulls selling under the hammer all at $3000.
Reg and Carole Teakle's Oakvale stud, which offered 11 sires, achieved the highest clearance of the three studs selling seven bulls under the hammer.
All seven red bulls sold by the stud were knocked down to Nutrien Livestock Pilbara/Gascoyne agent Leon Goad, who was carrying a buying order for repeat Oakvale buyer Mooloo Downs station, Gascoyne Junction, which runs a predominantly pure Brahman herd.
Five of the bulls purchased by Mooloo Downs were by Barlyne Yougawalla 2110 (P) while two were by Birrahlee Eldorado 09/6 (P).
Prior to purchasing the Brahman bulls for the operation Mr Goad secured two Droughtmaster bulls off Fieldhouse for the station at $3000.
Mr Goad said Mooloo Downs was a long-time client of Oakvale, firstly through previous owners Jim Caunt and family and now through the Smiths, wheat and sheep farmers from Patchewollock, Victoria.
"We need to keep up the Bos Indicus content at Mooloo and the Oakvale Brahmans do well there," Mr Goad said.
"Progeny are either sold to live export, grass fattened or custom fed at a Geraldton feedlot depending on seasons and market opportunities."
The Wesley family's Charlesville stud offered six bulls in the Brahman run and saw one sell at $3000 to Winning station.
The 29-month-old grey bull which found a new home was sired by Charlesville Percy 1701 (P).
The five passed in Charlesville bulls also found new homes when they sold post sale to two buyers.
The Lovelock family's Canterbury stud offered four red Brahmans aged between 25 to 27 months but unfortunately a lack of buyer interest saw them all passed in.
