Quality for 30th Springing Heifer Sale

This year's milestone sale will be held at the Boyanup sale yards on Friday, December 11, 2020, commencing at 11.30am.

The popular sale has traditionally opened the beef female selling season and has grown to become a-go-to event for baby beef producers to source A-grade replacement first-cross breeders.

This year the Elders South West team has nominated an increased catalogue of 786 PTIC first cross maiden heifers.

To maintain the high level of quality bucket-reared heifers producers have come to expect from the popular fixture, sale co-ordinators Michael Carroll, Elders South West livestock manager and Robert Gibbings, Elders Capel, continue to place paramount importance on quality control when inspecting and selecting the bucket-reared, first cross heifers for the sale.

All heifers in the sale are out of dairy dams and carry a vendor guarantee for a maximum 10-week joining period and a maximum calving period of 12 weeks.

The heifers are also pregnancy tested in calf by a veterinarian not before November 1 and are accompanied by a pregnancy certificate and for the third year in a row, all heifers will again be ear notch tested free from persistent infection (PI) of Pestivirus.

Mr Gibbings said the line-up of first cross heifers have presented extremely well this year.

"There have been some excellent results reported so far this season with drafts of vealer calves from first calving heifers purchased at last year's sale selling for an average in excess of $1600," Mr Gibbings said.

"The performance of the first cross breeder is impressive and they produce a wonderful product that is in high demand from both processors and lotfeeders.

"Congratulations to the vendors who have done an exceptional job again in preparing the heifers especially for this sale that comes with pregnancy and calving length guarantees and treatments for purchasers.

"The market is up considerably compared to the time of last year's sale and buyers can select and buy heifers at the sale with confidence."

This year's catalogue will feature 707 Angus-Friesian heifers, 36 Murray Grey-Friesian heifers, 25 Murray Grey-Aussie Red heifers and 18 Hereford-Friesian heifers, all AI or naturally mated to Angus or Limousin sires.

Making up 90 per cent of the total catalogue, Angus-Friesian heifers will again dominate the yarding with 12 vendors set to offer 707 heifers.

Original 30-year sale vendors Michael and Loretta Roberts and family, KS & EN Roberts & Son, Elgin, will again offer the largest individual draft of heifers at the sale.

The Roberts family is a renowned producer of mated first cross heifers and will offer a total draft of 205 quality heifers.

Angus-Friesian heifers will make up the majority of the draft with 151 nominated, while the balance is made up of 36 Murray Grey-Friesian and 18 Hereford-Friesian heifers.

The Roberts heifers had been carefully sourced from local South West dairies for shape, frame, type and temperament and are all mated to Limousin sires.

A feature of the Roberts' draft is a majority of the heifers are synchronised AI mated, giving buyers the opportunity to select heifers with a tighter 20-day calving period.

The 113 PTIC Angus-Friesian, 28 Murray Grey-Friesian and 16 Hereford-Friesian heifers are synchronised AI mated to proven Limousin bull Unison Gong G31 and due to calve from January 20 to February 9 for 20 days.

The balance of the Roberts' draft consists of 33 PTIC Angus-Friesian, five red factor Angus-Friesian, eight Murray Grey-Friesian and two Hereford-Friesian heifers naturally joined to Limousin sires and are due to calve from February 10 to March 31 from three to seven week calvings.

The heifers have been treated twice with Pestigard and Ultravac 7in1 in late January and late February, received Multimin on January 31 and drenched with Cydectin Pour On on August 30.

Candyup Farms, Benger, is the next biggest vendor with 122 Angus-Friesian heifers nominated for the sale.

All Candyup Farms heifers are synchronised AI mated to the polled black Limousin bull Shannalea Prime Time P2 and due to calve for 20 days from January 23 to February 12.

The heifers were drenched with Eprinex, vaccinated with 5in1 and given Multimin and B12 on February 19 and drenched and vaccinated again and administered Marks-Min on September 16.

Long-time sale vendors Keith and Alison Jilley, KL & AJ Jilley, Boyanup, will offer a large draft of 94 Angus-Friesian heifers at this year's sale.

The Jilleys have been producing first cross heifers since 1973 and the former dairy farmers source all heifers from select dairy breeders throughout the South West at various unjoined first cross female sales.

They select a specific type of heifer from non-Jersey herds resulting in a big line of very even heifers presented at the sale from their J-BAS 8 accredited property.

The Jilley's heifers were mated to Unison Limousin sires and have an 11-week calving period from February 1 to April 18.

The beautifully quiet, well-grown heifers have been treated twice with Pestigard in late April and early June.

Regular prominent vendors at the sale Lyndon and Elizabeth Crouch, LM & EA Crouch, Nannup, are set to offer a total draft of 80 first cross heifers.

The Crouch consignment consists of 55 Angus-Friesian heifers and 25 Murray Grey-Aussie Red heifers.

All heifers were purchased as unmated heifers and prepared and joined especially for the sale at their J-BAS 8 accredited property.

The heifers have been joined to Gandy Angus and Diamond Tree Angus bulls and will calve for 12 weeks from February 2 to April 26.

They have been treated with Pestigard, drenched with Dectomax and received B12 and selenium in mid-January with a follow up drench and Pestigard in mid-April and a final drench in mid-August.

Sale vendors for 27 years, Bernard and Roma Ridley, BW & RB Ridley, Brunswick, return to offer their annual consignment of 66 Angus-Friesian heifers.

The heifers have been joined to low birthweight Sheron Farms Angus bulls and are due to calve from February 4 to April 14.

The Ridley's heifers received two rounds of Pestigard in early March and April, vaccinated with 7in1 in early April and administered Multimin and backline drenched in early March and mid-October.

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.

Also offering 66 Angus-Friesian heifers at the sale is Capel vendors AD & RM Corker.

The Corker heifers are PTIC to a Limousin bull and due to calve for eight weeks from February 1 to March 28.

The heifers have been vaccinated and treated with Pestigard twice, first on February 25 and again on March 25.

RC & CD Barbetti & Sons, Waterloo, has nominated 45 Angus-Friesian heifers for the sale.

The owner-bred heifers are PTIC to Limousin bulls and due to calve from January 28 to April 8 for a 10-week calving period.

The heifers have been treated with Pestigard and drenched with Cydectin on June 30 and vaccinated with Ultravac 7in1 on April 21.

Milners Farm, Busselton, formerly trading as long-time sale vendor AJ Milner, will offer 36 owner-bred Angus-Friesian heifers from their dairy property.

The heifers are PTIC to Angus bulls and due to calve for 12 weeks from January 21 to April 15.

New sale vendor KL Smeathers, Northcliffe, will offer a draft of 27 Angus-Friesian heifers that are due to calve to Angus bulls for eight weeks from January 28 to March 25.

The Merritt family, Elgin Dairies, Elgin, will offer a total draft of 26 Angus-Friesian owner-bred heifers from their J-BAS 8 accredited dairy operation.

The consignment consists of 20 heifers AI mated and backed up to Angus bulls due to calve for five weeks from January 21 to February 25, while six heifers of the same breeding will calve later for four weeks from February 14.

All Elgin Dairies heifers were vaccinated with 7in1 on September 24 and had a recent drench with Eprinex on November 1.

Another new sale vendor Michael and Sophia Giumelli, JP Giumelli & Son, Ferguson Valley, will offer 21 PTIC Angus-Friesian cross heifers at their debut sale.

The younger February/March 2019-born heifers are due to calve as two-year-olds to Angus bulls from January 27 for six weeks.

The owner-bred heifers from their dairy farming operation received Multimin and Noromectin on April 16 and another round of Multimin on May 27.

The catalogue will round out with three Angus-Friesian heifers nominated by new sale vendor Primary Business Service Pty Ltd.

The trio was AI joined to Lawsons Angus Prosperity H382 on May 7 and June 1 and are due to calve for four weeks from February 13 to March 9.