HEIGHTENED demand for top Santa Gertrudis genetics saw the stud record books rewritten at the 16th annual Biara on-property bull and heifer sale at Northampton last week.
Lively bidding competition from WA pastoralists and local beef producers, along with interstate stud interest, saw the sale set a new $22,000 record top price and new record averages for bulls and heifers along with an eventual total sale clearance.
The heights of the sale were overwhelming for the Hasleby family, but proved a fitting tribute for Biara stud founder Lloyd Hasleby who passed away recently.
During an emotional opening to the sale, Biara stud co-principal John Hasleby honoured his late parents Lloyd and Barbara for their contributions to getting the stud to where it is today.
The family presented a large even yarding of well-grown, measured and tested bulls and with the exception of a couple of horned bulls, all bulls were either double poll, poll or poll/scur.
The catalogue consisted of 72 Santa Gertrudis and four Sangus bulls and 30 unjoined heifers aged nine to 12 months comprising 22 Santa Gertrudis heifers eligible for registration and eight commercial Sangus heifers.
With COVID-19 restricting people attending last year's sale, the big crowd returned in an upbeat atmosphere on the back of the strong beef market, more favourable seasonal conditions in some pastoral areas and the prospect of good rainfall in a developing weather system off the State's north coast.
The positivity resonated into the sale and at the completion of selling, the Nutrien Livestock team led by auctioneer Tiny Holly, had notched up an impressive result.
The three lines of heifers opened the sale with the 22 Santa Gertrudis heifers sold in two lines of 11 head for $2000 and $1750 respectively to average $1875 to The Dedman Family Trust, Wannamal, up $1000 on average compared to last year where 26 heifers sold to $1000 and averaged $875.
Nutrien Livestock stud and commercial cattle manager Paul Mahony paid $2000 for the eight Sangus heifers, up $950 on average from last year where 14 heifers averaged $1050.
The bull line-up saw vastly improved values with all bar one of the 72 Biara Santa Gertrudis bulls selling at auction for an average of $7020, up $2879 on last year's sale where 47 of 60 bulls (78 per cent) cleared under the hammer to average $4149.
And the four Sangus bulls offered found new homes at an average of $4250 with just a single bull selling at auction last year for $3000.
Guest vendor Wendy Gould, Wendalla Santa Gertrudis stud, Bolgart, also enjoyed improved results with her team of five polled bulls, selling four under the hammer for an average of $5625.
Both the overlooked Biara bull and Wendalla bulls were quickly snapped up after the sale to secure a complete sale clearance.
The fixture was sequentially interfaced on AuctionsPlus with 24 registered bidders logged into the sale from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and locally with an additional 28 guest viewers watching the auction online.
This resulted in 44 online bids across 10 lots with two lots selling online and heading to new homes in South Australia and Queensland.
Mr Holly said the Hasleby family had put so much work and investment into the Biara stud and were deserving of the results.
"Their ongoing purchases to continually improve their bloodlines showed out in the team of bulls this year," Mr Holly said.
"Buyers were competitive on the top-end and this flowed through to the balance of the catalogue to continue the strong market throughout and all bulls found new homes at values above expectations.
"The buyers from the Eastern States had purchased previously and the reciprocal business is good for the Santa Gertrudis breed.
"The Sangus bulls improved and the heifers were sought after because of the breeding."
Biara stud co-principal Glenn Hasleby said following the sale he was "speechless" with the result and appreciated the support of buyers, underbidders and Nutrien Livestock.
"We are blown away with the sale, it was not expected but thank you to everyone involved," Mr Hasleby said.
Leon Goad, Nutrien Livestock pastoral, bidding via phone for the Greenup family's Rosevale Santa Gertrudis stud, Jandowae, Queensland, set an early precedent with purchases of $16,500 and $15,000 for lots two and three before going even harder on lot eight and setting a new $22,000 stud record price for Biara 9030 (PS).
The 742kg mid-April 2019 born poll/scur bull was AI-bred by Rosevale Maverick M102 (P) and the maiden calf for a Wightfields Downpour G21 (P) daughter Biara 7026 (P).
The powerful bull recorded a daily weight gain (DWG) of 1.01kg and 92pc morphology with Breedplan figures ranking in the breed's top 3pc for both domestic and export indices, top 5pc for 200 and 600-day weights (DW) and top 10pc for 400-DW.
Rosevale's $16,500 purchase was for a 810kg homozygous poll ET-bred son of Rosevale Jackaroo J566 (P) and a Rosevale Cobb & Co (P) daughter Biara 3052 (P) ranking in the top 5pc for 600-DW and top 10pc for 200 and 400-DW while the $15,000 bid for the following pen contained another homozygous poll bull, AI-bred by Rosevale Majestic M176 (P) and a Rosevale Bandanna F216 (P) daughter ranking in the top 5pc for 400 and 600-DW and top 15pc for 200-DW.
A number of Biara bulls sold for five figures.
Nutrien Livestock Mt Barker agent Harry Carroll, representing long-time annual buyers Buckenara Pty Ltd, Bremer Bay, paid $13,000 and $11,500 for their two selections.
Their top price went to a young late June 2019-drop polled Rosevale Monty M482 (PP) son in lot 12 that ranked in the top 5pc for all growth intervals with 1.03kg DWG and 97pc morphology while their other purchase was a 704kg early May 2019-born bull also by Monty M482.
Mr Carroll said the Buckenara family run a self-replacing herd and finish calves in their own feedlot and they selected bulls accordingly.
"The bulls have to be structurally correct right through for the south coast," Mr Carroll said.
"Strong maternal traits for breeding your own replacements and when feeding calves for the domestic market, the bulls have to be relatively early maturing with shape and softness as well."
The Hegarty family, Eganu Pastoral, Coorow, secured three new Biara sires paying to an $11,000 top price for a mid-June 2019-drop poll/scur son of Gyranda Kenny (PS) weighing 792kg and recording 1.16kg DWG and in the top 5pc for 200-DW and top 10pc 400 and 600-DW.
Nutrien Livestock, Mid West agent Richard Keach, WA Rural, representing HXA Pty Ltd, paid a healthy $9000 average for four bulls with a $10,000 top bid going to a young early July 2019-born polled bull by Kenny, while two bulls that sold online topped at $10,500 for the sale team leader, a 742kg mid May 2019-drop 742kg polled bull ET-bred by Jackaroo and Biara 3052 ranking in the top 5pc for 600-DW and top 10pc for 200 and 400-DW.
But it was a sale where volume buyers wielded the strongest influence.
Having the biggest impact was a Nutrien Livestock, Port Hedland account which accumulated 32 bulls at the sale at values ranging anywhere from $3500 to $8500.
Losing bidder on the top-priced bull Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, Pilbara, was an active bidder at the top-end of the market and went on to build a team of 13 bulls at the sale, costing from $3500 to a $10,000 top price for a homozygous poll, late June 2019-born son of Monty M482 with 90pc morphology.
Barry Hutcheson, Nutrien Livestock, Goldfields and Esperance, operated at value to source seven bulls for $4000 on behalf of return buyers Minara Pastoral, Goldfields.
Mr Carroll paid the $5000 top Sangus bull price to go with another Santa bull purchased for KA & AM Zambonetti, Albany, a 804kg polled late March 2019 born bull by Biara 9104 (P) and out of Angus cow Diamond Tree E11 with 1.07kg DWG while the balance of the Sangus bulls were snapped up by Mr Goad for $4000 each on behalf of D & C Geraghty Pty Ltd, Menangnia station, Kookynie.
Original Biara buyers Les and Kim Parsons, Coolawanyah station, Tom Price, tallied a team of five Biara bulls costing from $5000 to $8000 and also added Wendalla stud's $6500 top-priced bull Wendalla Top Notch T29 (P).
Top Notch was a polled mid-June 2019-born bull and was among the first crop of sons to be offered for sale by Wendalla's new sire Yarrawonga L736 (P) and was out of one of the stud's top performing cows, a Wendalla Invincible I250 (P) daughter Namoi N31 (P).
The Parsons have been using Santa Gertrudis bulls for 48 years and Kim said they select bulls strongly for temperament, sheath, poll and conformation and the other traits that go with it and the Wendalla sire was a young bull that 'fitted the mould.'
Mr Parsons said it has been one of the best starts in the past five to six years.
"We've had about 350mm of rain from the start of December to the end of March and it was good soaking rains with no flood damage.
"The first storms brought good rains and we had green feed in places for Christmas and it continued on but it's getting pretty dry again now.
"We are carrying less than the recommended carrying capacity but this allows us the opportunity to give some of the drier areas a spell."
Hamersley Iron included two Wendalla bulls with morphology up to 90pc in their sale team paying to $5500, Nutrien Livestock, Port Hedland added a single 90pc morphology Wendalla bull to its account for $5500, while Banksia Park Farming purchased a Wendalla bull for $5000 to go with its two Biara bulls, destined for Laverton Downs station.