THE 2021 bull selling season got off to a cracking start at the Nutrien Livestock Great Southern Blue Ribbon All Breeds Bull Sale at Mt Barker on January 12 with prices hitting a sale record high of $17,000 for a Naracoopa Black Simmental bull and the average rising $1388 on last year.
There were smiles all round from both agents and vendors when the final bull left the ring after just over an hour of selling where a long list of registered buyers competed strongly on the quality line-up of bulls representing four breeds.
With good competition right through the catalogue on the 48 bulls offered by seven studs, the Nutrien Livestock selling team, led by auctioneer Michael Altus, had little trouble finding new homes for them and in some cases it was just a matter of adding up the bids.
When the final bull left the ring, 46 of 48 bulls offered had been sold for an average of $6087 making it the best average recorded at the sale since 2017.
Compared to last year's sale where 54 bulls sold from 60 offered at an average of $4699 the average was up $1388.
Nutrien Livestock, southern manager Bob Pumphrey said the final sale result was very pleasing and stronger than presale expectations.
"We saw good clearances and prices across all breeds," Mr Pumphrey said.
"There was a large attendance of buyers and they showed their appreciation for the quality line-up of bulls from start to finish.
"It was a very good quality line-up of bulls from all vendors and they need to be congratulated on the presentation.
"The line-up just keeps improving every year and I think buyers are recognising this and are able to buy with confidence like they did this year."
Setting the new sale benchmark at $17,000 was a classy Black Simmental bull, Naracoopa Qualify Q005 (ET) (AI) (P), from Kevin and Janice Hard's Naracoopa stud, Denmark.
The 895 kilogram Qualify Q005 was the first bull into the sale ring and from the moment Qualify strode in, buyers were focused as Mr Altus who took an opening bid of $7000.
From there the price quickly rose surpassing the five-figure mark, but in the end it was an Esperance bidder who prevailed at $17,000 on the soft, deep, stretchy bull.
Bidding with the assistance of Nutrien Livestock, Esperance agent Darren Chatley, Andrew Hann, Greendale Simmental stud, was the winning bidder.
When Qualify was knocked down to Mr Hann, it meant it had set not only a record top sale price but also a record sale price for the Naracoopa stud, surpassing the previous records set by its full brother at the sale in 2019 when it sold at $16,500.
Mr Hann, who runs both traditional and black breeders in his Simmental stud herd, said he was impressed by Qualify's overall composition and structure.
"He is a very long bull, with good muscling and a great structure," Mr Hann said.
"In addition to that he also has a very good temperament, which was very important as well.
"His bloodline is also very good and it will be a new one for our herd."
The ET-bred Qualify is by Webb Tank K090 and out of Woonallee Olivia K166.
On the figures front it has estimated breeding values (EBVs) of +0.7 birthweight (BWT), +18, +31 and +32 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +14 carcase weight, +2.0 eye muscle area (EMA), +0.6 rib fat, -0.4 rump fat, -0.9 retail beef yield (RBY) and +0.9 IMF.
Qualify will be used in the operation's stud herd of 70 Black Simmental breeders to breed bulls for its own use.
The operation's Black Simmental stud herd is run alongside 50 traditional Simmental stud breeders and a very large commercial herd of 380 SimAngus and Simmental breeders that are all joined to Simmental and Black Simmental bulls.
Mr Hann said they dropped their calves from the middle of February to mid April and aimed to sell all of their calves at eight months old, just before Christmas to a local lotfeeder.
"Our steers calves this season averaged 345kg when we sold them to the lotfeeder," Mr Hann said.
Simmental/Black Simmental
The Simmental and Black Simmental bulls had the honour this year of being first into the selling ring and they certainly didn't disappoint.
With plenty of competition on the offering, Mr Altus had no trouble finding new homes for the 10 bulls offered by two studs, with them selling to $17,000, to set a record sale top price as previously mentioned for a Black Simmental sire.
But not only did the breed record an impressive top price, the average of $7950 for the 10 bulls sold also put a smile on the face of vendors, as it was up $2825 on last year.
The 10 bull offering was made up of the one Black Simmental sire which sold for $17,000, along with nine traditional Simmental bulls which averaged $6944.
After selling the sale's top-priced bull in lot one, the Naracoopa stud followed up with a team of six traditional Simmental bulls and these also created plenty of interest among buyers selling to a top of $9500 and an average of $7333, to give the stud an overall average of $8714 for the seven bulls it sold.
Leading the way in the stud's traditional offering and selling at $9500 was Naracoopa Quantum Q032.
After some serious bidding from a number of interested parties the 1010kg deep, thick son of Naracoopa Magic M006 (AI) was knocked down to return buyer Ross Thornton, R & P Thornton, Denmark.
Quantum Q032 has growth EBVs of +19, +34 and +45 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights to go with a BWT figure of +2.2.
The next best price for a traditional Naracoopa bull was $9000 bid by Thornton Farms, Denmark, for the 850kg Naracoopa Quentin Q025 (P).
The Willandra Lancelot L039 (P) son showed both thickness and softness in the ring and on the figures front it has growth EBVs of +17, +32 and +43 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
Other better returns in the Naracoopa run were $8000 paid by JW & DR Burton, Denmark, for polled Willandra Lancelot son and $7500 bid by EA Maxton & Sons, Kalgan, for a polled Naracoopa Magic son.
The WA College of Agriculture, Denmark, offered and sold three traditional Simmental bulls from its Inlet Views stud to a top of $8500 and an average of $6167 in the run.
Hitting the $8500 value in the Inlet View's offering was Inlet Views Q77 Quenda when return buyer John Dennis, JW Dennis & Co, Mt Barker, was clerked in the books as the buyer.
The 801kg dark red, thick, polled bull is by Inlet Views Nordic N010 and has EBVs of +0.7 BWT, +18, +28 and +31 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +19 carcase weight, +3.2 EMA and +1.3 RBY.
Also making good money for the college was, Inlet Views Q14 Quebec, with the 878kg, polled son of Bonnydale Kojack G004 selling for $6000 to Wells & Duffall, Denmark, while the stud's final bull made $4000 when it sold to LE & AG Wolfe, Youngs Siding.
Charolais
The Charolais bull offering was the second into the ring and consisted of seven sires presented by Doug and Dani Giles, Quicksilver Charolais stud, Newdegate.
When the final Charolais bull left the ring it marked a 100pc clearance of the seven sires with them selling to a top of $6500 on three occasions and an average of $5643, which was up $705 on the stud's 2020 sale average.
The first two bulls to make $6500 were purchased by return buyer of more than 15 years Graham Ayres, Graham Ayres Livestock, Bornholm.
Mr Ayres paid $6500 for Quicksilver Quality Q38 (P) and Quicksilver Quendo Q43 (P/S) in lots 16 and 17.
Both bulls were dropped in March 2019 and are sired by Quicksilver Buckles (P).
Quality Q38 has growth EBVs of +11, +21 and +33 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights while Quendo Q43 has carcase EBVs of +2.1 EMA, +0.6 rib fat and +0.8 rump fat.
Mr Ayres said he liked both bulls because they were soft and had good muscling.
"They are not too big either but they have great conformation, muscling and good temperaments," Mr Ayres said.
"We like the Quicksilver sires because they produce top quality calves which are quiet.
"The Giles also offer good after sales service."
The Ayres family run a breeding herd of 250 Angus-Friesian breeders and use Charolais sires over them as they like the temperament and muscling traits of the breed.
Mr Ayres said they aim to turn their February to April-drop calves off at about 11 months of age either direct to Woolworths, Avon Valley Meats or through the saleyards.
This season they have already sold a couple of lines of calves including 80 steers and heifers to Avon Valley Meats in November which averaged 240kg dressed weight.
The third bull to make $6500 in the Quicksilver team was the stud's final bull Quicksilver Quantom Q72 (P) (R/F) and it was knocked down to return buyers P & SM Marshall, Albany.
The polled, red factor bull is a son of Quicksilver Gun Smoke (P) (R/F) and has EBVs of -0.4 BWT, +5, +12 and +18 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights and +13 milk.
Along with selling three bulls for $6500 Quicksilver also sold another two at $6000.
The first of these was a Quicksilver Buckles son, Quicksilver Quickstep Q31 (ET) (P/S) that has growth figures of +12, +23 and +37 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
It was purchased by SJ Panizza Family Trust and BJ Panizza Family Trust, Albany.
Quicksilver Quest Q12 (P) was the other bull to sell at $6000 in the Quicksilver run and it was purchased by BJ Panizza Family Trust, Albany.
The polled bull is by Quicksilver Nightcap (AI) (P) and has growth figures of +10, +16 and +21 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
Red Angus
The Smith family, Kildarra Red Angus stud, Albany, was the only vendor to offer Red Angus bulls in the sale.
It put forward a team of six bulls and sold five under the hammer at an average of $4500, which back $563 on the stud's 2020 sale average of $5063 when it sold four bulls under the hammer.
The Kildarra team topped at $6500 for the stud second bull offered, Kildarra Quintessence Q7, when it sold to return buyers the Harding family, Sweet Valley Produce, Elleker, who also bought the stud's top-priced bull last year.
The AI-bred, March 2019-drop bull, which weighed in at 800kg at the beginning of January, is by K5X Jackpot J20 and has above breed average growth EBVs with figures of +33, +50 and +72 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights which rank it in the top 15-25pc of the breed.
On the carcase front it ranks in the top 10pc for RBY (+1.8) and top 20pc for carcase weight (+42).
The stud's other four bulls which sold all made $4000 and were purchased by FG Smith, Denmark; Narrikup Grazing, Albany; PA & DL Geddes, Willyung and Nutrien Livestock, Albany.
Two of these bulls were sons of K5X Jackpot J20 and two were sired by Willandra Krugerrand K91.
Angus
The Angus bulls were the last to be sold and in this section three studs combined to offer 25 bulls and with good support throughout the offering 24 found new homes to a top of $11,000 and an average of $5771, which was up $1327 on last year.
In last year's sale the same three studs offered 30 sires and sold 27 under the hammer for a $4444 average.
Leading the charge in the Angus run and selling the $11,000 top-priced bull was Greg Brown's Ponderosa stud, Albany.
With the Ponderosa stud selling first, it didn't take long for the Angus breed's $11,000 top price to be recorded when its lead bull, Ponderosa Admiral Q18, entered the ring.
The 834kg, deep, well-muscled, Admiral Q18 attracted plenty of attention from a number of buyers before finally being knocked down at $11,000 to return buyers Wayne and Serena Matthews, Kangarabbi Farms, Narrikup, who bid with the assistance of Elders Mt Barker agent Dean Wallinger.
Mr Matthews said they chose the bull for its overall balance.
"He is a well-structured bull with good length and depth," Mr Matthews said.
"We think he is going to be a very good bull to breed top replacement heifers from.
"We have purchased from the Ponderosa stud for more than 10 years, so we know how the bloodline performs and I think this bull will suit our requirements."
The Matthews family run a breeding herd of 400 Angus breeders of which 240 are joined to Angus bulls and 160 are joined to Gelbvieh bulls.
The early March 2019-drop bull is by Koojan Hills Admiral K166 and has excellent growth EBVs which ranks it in the top five per cent of the breed for 600-day weight (+142), top 10pc for 400-day (+104) and top 20pc for 200-day (+55) while on the carcase front it is in the top 15pc for carcase weight (+78) and top 20pc for RBY (+1.2).
The next best price in the Ponderosa run was $7500 paid by Geoff Jones, GD & SC Jones, Kojonup, for an 837kg son of Granite Ridge Kaiser K26, Ponderosa Kaiser Q1.
The thick, docile Kaiser Q1 ranks well in the breed for calving ease and fertility with figures of -10 gestation length (top 5pc) as well as +6.3 calving ease daughters (Dtrs) and -6.9 days to calving which both rank in the top 20pc.
It is also very good in the fats ranking in the top 3pc of the breed with figures of +2.4 rib fat and +2.5 rump fat.
The stud also sold a third bull at $5000 to Gatti Grazing, Albany, to give it a 100pc clearance of its team of three at an average of $7833.
The Burrow family, Mason Valley stud, Youngs Siding, was the biggest vendor not only in the Angus run but the sale overall offering a team of 16 bulls and they cleared them all at an average of $5656 and to a top of $9500.
Achieving the $9500 top price tag in the Mason Valley offering was a Black Onyx 5Q11SV son, Mason Valley Onyx Q56, when it sold to return buyers of six years the James family, Stockdale Partners, Hyden.
Buyer Chris James said the May 2019-drop bull had very good growth EBVs as well as low birthweight and calving ease which they were looking for as they were chasing bulls to use over heifers.
Onyx Q56 not only showed plenty of volume and muscle in the ring but it also had the numbers to match with EBVs ranking in the top 6pc of the breed for 400-day weight (+106) and top 14pc for 200 and 600-day weights (+56 and +132), as well top 9pc for carcase weight (+79) and top 4pc RBY (+2.1) while it has BWT figure of +3.6 and calving ease figures of +6.3 direct and +5.3 daughters (top 22 and 28pc).
The James also paid $6000 for another Black Onyx son, Mason Valley Onyx Q32 which is in the top 7pc for BWT (+1.9) as well top 25pc for calving ease direct (+5.9) and top 22pc for calving ease daughters (+6.0).
The James, who run 230 Shorthorn breeders and 40 Angus breeders, will use the two bulls over 50 Shorthorn heifers.
Two bulls in the Mason Valley team sold at $8000, the first of these was a Cherylton Highlander M83 son, Mason Valley Highlander Q29, when it was knocked down to SA & SH Smith, Narrikup.
The deep, well-muscled Highlander Q29 has growth EBVs of +48, +81 and +108 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
The Smiths also picked up a second Mason Valley bull, which was again a Cherylton Highlander M83 son for $4500.
The second bull to sell for $8000 in the Mason Valley team was Mason Valley Highlander Q30 and it was purchased by Yandilla Grazing Co, Manypeaks.
The Cherylton Highlander M83 son has growth EBVs of +53, +94 and +128 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
Other better returns in the Mason Valley offering were $7000 bid by LE & AG Wolfe, Youngs Siding, for a Karoo Knockout K176 son and $6000 paid by Johnson Bros for a Cherylton Highlander M83 son.
Kojonup-based Cherry Tree Estate and JW & DR Burton, Denmark, each went home with two Mason Valley bulls paying $5000 for one and $4000 for the other.
The Ballawinna stud, Albany, offered six sires and sold five under the hammer to a top of $7000 and an average of $4900.
Making Ballawinna's $7000 top price was Ballawinna Gatsby Q23 when it was secured by FV Hortin & Sons, Albany.
The 790kg, January 2019-drop bull is by Koojan Hills Gatsby L42 and it ranks in the top 2pc of the breed for BWT (+0.7) and top 2pc and 3pc for rump fat (+2.9) and rib fat (+2.6).
The next best price in the Ballawinna offering was $5500 paid by Geddes Pastoral Co, Manypeaks, for an 820kg Koojan Hills Gatsby L42 son.
The studs remaining three bulls all sold at $4000 to KA Nelson & CA Walle, Narrikup; DW Pilkington, Manypeaks and HD & BP Pearce, Willyung.