AN outstanding line-up of yearling bulls bred to be functional and easy-care created good interest at the Yost family's second on-property Liberty Charolais and Shorthorn bull sale at Toodyay, with prices topping at $9000 for a Charolais bull.
After holding their inaugural on-property sale under COVID-19 restriction in 2020 it was a much more relaxed atmosphere at the family's sale this year as more buyers attended in person rather than having agents buy on their behalf.
The Yosts penned a very even catalogue of 39 medium framed, well-muscled and thick Charolais and Shorthorn yearling bulls that not only showed consistency in phenotype but had genetic predictability after being backed by years of selective breeding.
When the sale, which was also interfaced on AuctionsPlus got underway, the Elders selling team led by Nathan King sold the young bulls to mainly return buyers, who know the benefits of using a Liberty yearling bull, from as far south as Albany and north to the Pilbara region and at its conclusion they had sold 30 of the 39 bulls (77 per cent) under the hammer for an average of $5175.
With a slightly stronger top-end market compared to last year, the sale average was up marginally by $29, but the clearance was back 12pc on the back of a bigger yarding, compared to last year where the stud sold 24 bulls from 27 offered at an average of $5146.
In the Charolais side of the catalogue 25 bulls from the 31 offered sold for an average of $5310, to be up $147 on last year's result when 20 from 21 sold at a $5163 average.
When it came to the Shorthorn line-up there were eight bulls offered and five sold under the hammer to a top of $6500 and for an average of $4500, which was back $563 on the stud's 2020 sale result.
Mr King said it was a solid sale for the stud with the average and number of bulls sold up on last year.
"There was good wide spread buying support on both breeds and with the bulls selling over a vast area from Albany in the south to Mt Augustus station and Gabyon station in the pastoral regions," Mr King said.
"The Charolais bulls presented very well and were probably the most even line I have seen from the stud, but it wasn't only me who thought this, I heard a lot of comments from buyers on how even the team was.
"This evenness was reflected in the sale with buyers bidding right to the end of the Charolais catalogue ensuring a better clearance and average for the stud compared to 2020.
"In terms of the Shorthorn bulls they also presented well as the Yost family continues to grow this herd.
"The five bulls sold, all went to different buyers and represented good value buying given the current position of the cattle market."
Described by the Yosts as a pretty special bull in the catalogue, Liberty Ramblin Man R29 (P), must have also impressed a number of buyers when they inspected the bulls presale as it created plenty of interest in the ring before being knocked down at the sale's $9000 top price.
The 636 kilogram, homozygous polled son of Liberty Just Ramblin along J35 (P) and Liberty Marshmellow M8 (P) after catching the eye of many was eventually knocked down to Bruce and Andrea Garratt and son Josh, BW & AE Garratt, Walkaway, who left their bidding to Elders, Carnarvon representative Clint Avery.
The Garratts have been buying bulls from the Liberty stud for seven to eight years and Bruce Garratt said they picked the bull out after watching the videos of all the sale bulls online.
"We were initially going to go to the sale but after the cyclone went through, we couldn't go," Mr Garratt said.
"I looked at the bull videos online and picked out Ramblin Man R29 and then I asked Josh to do the same and he picked out three including him, so we decided that was the one we would chase.
"We didn't have a back-up plan, as I go by the belief if you pick out a bull and want it, then you go for it.
"He was the bull we wanted and we were very lucky to get him as he is a nice allround bull."
The stylish, thick bull, mid March 2020-drop bull didn't only impress in the flesh but had some good figures to match ranking in the top 10pc of the breed for 200 and 400-day weights (+19 and +37), as well as top 15pc for 600-day weight (+49) and IMF (+0.6).
On the index front it ranks in the top 10pc for the northern terminal index at +$29, while its indexes values of +$38 for domestic and +$55 for export rank in the top 20pc.
The Garratts run a herd of 200 Droughtmaster breeders and this bull along with another Liberty sire will be mated to mature cows alongside Droughtmaster bulls which are used to breed replacement females.
Mr Garratt said they liked the Charolais-Droughtmaster cross as it opened up extra markets for their calves.
"Charolais are nice heavy boned bulls and when crossed with the Droughtmaster produce great calves suitable for a number of markets."
The family markets most of its calves as weaners either through the Muchea Livestock Centre or to the live export market.
Cameron Petricevich, S & C Livestock, was busy throughout the sale filling a couple of orders.
This included one for return buyer JIG Grazing, Waroona, which paid the sale's $8500 second top price for Liberty River Hawk R99 (P) (R/F).
The 588kg, polled, red factor sire is by Liberty Plymouth P67 and has growth figures of +14, +32 and +41 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, to go with carcase numbers of +21 carcase weight, +1.2 EMA, +0.2 rib and rump fat and +0.6 IMF.
Mr Petricevich said he picked River Hawk R99 out firstly because it was a red factor bull and that was what his client wanted.
"He also has the bone, softness and muscle my client likes," Mr Petricevich said.
"They have seen the performance of Liberty sired calves in the boning room and the paddock, so they wanted another one."
The bull will be used over mainly British breed cows on the Waroona property.
Mr Petricevich also selected for a Pinjarra client when he placed the last bid at $6000 on the 608kg, polled Liberty Rawhide R55 (AI) (P).
The AI-bred son of Silverstream Lazarus L111 ranks in the top 5pc of the breed for IMF (+0.9), while its growth estimated breeding values are +12, +22 and +27 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights.
Return Mingenew buyers the Stokes family, HJ & K Stokes & Sons, were strong supporters of the Charolais bulls purchasing three bulls at an average of $6417 and to a top of $7750, which was the third top price in the sale.
They paid $7750 for a homozygous polled son of Liberty Plymouth P67, Liberty Right On the Money R1 (P).
The 694kg bull ranks in the top 15pc of the breed for IMF and when the team was scanned in February it had the largest EMA scan at 115cm2.
The two other bulls purchased by the Stokes family were a polled, red factor, Liberty Major General M38 son at $6500 and a homozygous polled son of ANC Laois son at $5000.
The volume buyer title in the Charolais offering went to the Cripps family, Gabyon station, Yalgoo, who purchased five bulls to a top of $6000 and an average of $4500.
Gemma Cripps said the family had only recently started breeding cattle on the property due to the Damara/Dorper sheep enterprise being significantly impacted by wild dogs and dingoes.
"We agisted some Brahman breeders in 2019 from Glen Florrie station as they were having a bad season and then its season failed again in 2020 so we purchased the females," Ms Cripps said.
"We purchased three bulls from Liberty in November and they have settled in well and handled the conditions so we decided to come to the sale and buy a few more.
"We are probably looking at having the cattle numbers at around 500 to 700 breeders but it will depend on what happens with the sheep.
"When we purchased the station in 2009 there were 7500 sheep and we were mustering 4000 goats, we are now down to 1500 ewes and the goat numbers are also back
"We are currently running Maremma dogs with the sheep so we will see how that goes if we can keep our sheep numbers up, I don't think we will increase the cattle drastically."
There were another three buyers in the sale to purchase more than one Charolais bull and they included Thisledo Pty Ltd, Red Gully, which purchased three bulls at an average of $4750 with the assistance of Nutrien Livestock, pastoral agent Shane Flemming, while AG Baim, Wonthella and
PJ Marshall, Bakers Hill, both purchased two bulls each at averages of $5000 and $4000 respectively.
The team of eight Shorthorn bulls rounded out the sale and the five which sold all went to different homes.
The $6500 top price in the Shorthorn side of the sale was bid by Elders, Albany representative Wayne Mitchell, who was carrying a buying order for the Burrow family's, Narralda stud, Youngs Siding.
Mr Mitchell bid to this value for the fourth Shorthorn bull offered, Liberty Royal Commander R16 (P) and said the Burrow family was looking for some unrelated genetics to their herd and they are hard to find in WA but this bull ticked that box.
"They saw videos of him on AuctionsPlus and were happy with his figures and I did a final check today of him in the flesh," Mr Mitchell said.
"They are very happy with his figures for where they are going to use him in their stud."
The March 2020-drop, 586kg Royal Commander R16, is a son of Bayview Winston N24 and Crathes Enia M9.
It ranks well in the breed across a number of expected progeny differences including top 2pc marble score (0.23), top 10pc fat (-0.069), top 15pc for rib eye area (0.52) and top 20pc for weaning weight (59.6) plus top 3pc for the all purpose index (127.25).
The other four Shorthorn bulls sold made $4000 selling to F & M Giancono, Donnybrook; Mt Augustus station, Upper Gascoyne; Bancell Falls, Pinjarra and Sawyer Farms, Eneabba.
