THE 2021/22 female selling season officially kicks off this week with the Nutrien Livestock Mated First Cross Female sale at Boyanup.
The sale will be held this Thursday, December 2, commencing at 11.30am and the Nutrien Livestock South West team has assembled a quality catalogue of joined first cross heifers.
Prospective buyers will not be disappointed with the feature sale set to host an exceptional line-up of 400 PTIC genuine, first-cross, bucket-reared, Angus-Friesian heifers.
Nutrien Livestock sale co-ordinators Peter Storch and Ralph Mosca have specially selected the heifers on conformation, style and femininity, ensuring a quality line-up will be presented at auction and producers can buy with confidence.
They can also have confidence in regards to the heifers' pregnancy and health status with all heifers featuring in the sale ear-notch tested free of persistent infection (PI) of pestivirus and vendor guaranteed PTIC within 30 days of the sale.
Mr Storch said the sale represented an outstanding opportunity for buyers to purchase quality first cross breeders from well-known local breeders and heifer preparers.
"It's the best the cattle have ever looked and are in excellent condition on the back of a great season in the South West, backed up by regular vendors that sell in this sale each year," Mr Storch said.
"After inspecting the heifers this year's line-up is very even and will certainly present well come sale day.
"When selecting the heifers Ralph Mosca and I were very impressed by the style, femininity and excellent temperaments shown by the heifers nominated by vendors.
"They are certainly showing plenty of bloom and are in good order.
"Growers intending to purchase replacement females for cow/calf programs will not be disappointed with the superb line which will be presented in the sale.
"I encourage anyone looking for mated first-cross heifers to attend the sale as it will be a good opportunity to purchase top quality breeders from well-known and reputable suppliers of first cross joined females."
All females will be tagged with Nutrien Ag Solutions management sale tags, with lot/pen number and individual number displayed on the front of the tag, for ease of identification for buyers in future years.
The biggest vendors in the sale will again be the Haddon family, NL & E Haddon, Yoongi Downs dairy, Busselton, which will present an extensive line of 140 heifers.
The Angus-Friesian heifers have all been bred and raised in the family's dairy operation.
The well-grown, bucket-reared, owner-bred heifers are PTIC to low birthweight Angus bulls based on Whitlock 179, S Chisum 6175 and Pathfinder Genesis G357 bloodlines.
The heifers have been split into three main lines according to their calving with 63 AI-bred to calve on January 30, 62 heifers AI and naturally joined to calve from February 6 to February 20 and 15 heifers naturally joined to calve from March 10 to April 20.
The next biggest draft of heifers will descend from the Boyup Brook paddocks of Candyup Farms with 53 PTIC heifers of various breeding and joinings marked for the sale.
The heifers were sourced from the Nutrien Livestock unmated F1 female sale earlier in the year and are mainly joined to Sheron Farm Angus bulls excluding one line mated to a Limousin bull.
Candyup Farms' Angus-Friesian offering will consist of 12 heifers AI bred to a Balamara Limousin bull to calve from January 14 to February 4 and 20 heifers due to calve to Angus bulls from February 11 to April 8.
The operation's Hereford-Angus offering will consist of five AI-bred to an Angus bull to calve from February 11 to March 4 and four heifers naturally mated to Angus bulls to calve from February 11 to April 8, while in their Murray Grey-Friesian line-up, eight are AI-bred and four naturally joined to Angus bulls with the same calving dates as their baldy stablemates.
The Noakes family, Chapman Brook Pty Ltd, Warner Glen, will return this year with a draft of 48 PTIC first cross heifers.
Included in the family's owner-bred sale draft of heifers will be 35 Angus-Friesians and 13 Angus-Montbeliarde/Friesian heifers which are due to calve to Diamond Tree and Lawsons Angus bulls from January 30 to April 3.
Fellow return vendors the Ryan family, Goodonga Farms, Manjimup, will present a run of 39 Angus-Friesian heifers with a range of tight calving periods to a black Limousin bull.
In the draft breakdown, 19 of the heifers were AI-joined and are due to calve on January 27, 15 are due to calve on February 18 following an another AI-program while the balance of five heifers are PTIC to calve from March 10 to April 20.
The Ryans sourced their heifers from Nutrien Livestock's unmated female sale last season and specially prepared them for this sale.
Regular vendors the MacDonald family, KM, EJ & LK MacDonald, Cookernup, will consign 35 Angus-Friesian heifers to the sale.
The MacDonald family sourced the heifers from Nutrien Livestock's unmated first cross sale earlier this year and have prepared and joined them for this fixture.
The PTIC heifers are due to calve from February 2 to April 2 to a Willendaise Limousin bull.
The Kitchen family, Kitchen Farms, Boyanup, will present 33 Angus-Friesian heifers that were AI-mated and backed up to a Unison Limousin bull and are due to calve from February 2 to April 4.
The Craigie family, Myrtle Hill Farm, Harvey, will offer 20 PTIC Angus-Friesian heifers that are due to calve to Sheron Farm Angus bulls from February 5 to April 9.
The Craigie family purchased the heifers as young calves and poddies and have grown them out and joined them in preparation for this sale.
Clews Asset Management, Boyanup, will truck in 19 PTIC Angus-Friesian heifers with tight calving periods to Black Market Angus bulls.
Included in the draft will be 10 heifers AI joined to an Angus bull to calve on February 20, while seven heifers will calve from March 10 to 19 and two heifers from April 1 to April 9 also to Angus.
Dairy farmers C & L Italiano & Sons, Harvey, will offer 10 owner-bred Angus-Friesian heifers from their dairy operation.
The heifers are PTIC to Hydillowah Angus bulls and have a calving period of January 17 to April 11.
Black Dog Ride charity heifer, Clementine 10, will lead this year's sale.
The special Hereford-Friesian heifer was again donated to the Black Dog Ride cause by the Daubney family, Bannister Downs dairy, Northcliffe and has been specially prepared for the sale by Peter and Judy Milton, Dardanup.
Clementine 10 is PTIC to Limousin bull Merryvale Quamby and is due to calve from February 17.
All sale proceeds of Clementine 10 will be donated to the Black Dog Ride with Nutrien Livestock waiving all selling costs and commissions to ensure as much money as possible can be raised for Black Dog Ride.
Catalogues will have been sent via post to past and new buyers and are available from the Nutrien Bunbury and Manjimup branches for interested producers.
Prospective buyers can also view videos of the heifers on offer in the sale on YouTube by searching Nutrien Bunbury.
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