WELL-presented, powerful sires from a wide selection of genetics were appreciated by return clients last Thursday in Boyanup at the annual Gandy Angus bull sale.
Buyers were greeted to an excellent representation of home bred sires, the majority out of first calvers, which impressed with traits equal to the top performers in the breed.
Being the only sale now on the calendar for the Manjimup-based stud, buyers that showed up in person and registered online were not afraid to pay for those bulls which best suited their operational needs and pushed prices to a top of $16,000.
The 58 registered buyers and 44 who logged in on AuctionsPlus ensured the bidding was consistent, which resulted in 55 of the 57 bulls offered selling under the Elders' hammer to an average of $7750 to 32 different buyers.
The buoyant protein market, favourable seasonal conditions and quality offered resulted in an average increase of $2255 compared to last year when 46 out of the 49 offered sold to a $5495 average.
Not only did the result improve on last year, ensuring a positive day for stud owners Kim and Lex Gandy, but the live video feed enhanced the bidding experience for online users which resulted in the $15,250 second top price bull being secured on the bidding platform.
The catalogue on AuctionsPlus received 2455 views and along with the 44 logged-in users, 35 bids were placed across 10 lots to secure three, there was also another 16 guest viewers logged in to watch the auction.
Brad McDonnell, Elders Manjimup, said for the first sale of the bull selling season and given the time of year, it was a very pleasing result.
"The sale was well support from return clients as far as Esperance to Coolup," Mr McDonnell said.
"The 60 bulls presented very well, were in fantastic condition and were specially selected from the Gandys' 400 head stud breeding herd.
"They were moderate framed, expressing high growth figures with excellent carcase attributes and were ideal for terminal sire use."
Top prices were reached early in the catalogue and it was lot 16 which caught the eye of many hopeful buyers sitting around the ring.
Bids flew in thick and fast to Elders auctioneer Nathan King, who ultimately knocked down the late February 2020 born bull to loyal client Anthony McDonald, Kuloomba Farming, Esperance, for $16,000.
Diamond One Nugget R131 (AI) was one of the first sons to get sold in WA out of sire Millah Murrah Nugget N266 and had selection indexes in the top 20 per cent of the breed.
The thick youngster had a +3.1 scrotal size in the top 10pc, a +1.9 retailed beef yield (RBY) in the top 10pc, a +2.7 birthweight in the top 20pc and a +96 for 400-day weight also in the top 20pc.
Mr McDonald also secured three other sires on the day, paying $12,250 for a Musgrave 316 Stunner son that boasted EBV figures in the top 10pc for carcase weight of +78, top 15pc for 200-day weight of +55, 400-day weight of +126 and rib fat of +0.8.
Lot six, Diamond One Nugget R23 (AI) and lot 15, Diamond One Stunner R44 (AI), were also written down on Mr McDonald's account when he paid a healthy $9000 price tag for both.
Mr McDonald said the four bulls he secured were bought to join to heifers.
"I was chasing sires with a low birthweight, plenty of thickness and muscle and that were structurally correct, as they have some distance to cover," Mr McDonald said.
"The top priced bull certainly had all of these attributes."
Mr McDonald has been breeding Angus for 50 years and recently mated 800 Angus breeders, with their heifer calves being kept as replacements while the steers will be sold as grassfed yearlings in spring at 17 to 18-months-old directly to Woolworths.
"I have been purchasing bulls from the Gandys for 10 years and in seasons when we have received minimal rainfall, Kim enables me to privately select a handful of yearlings," he said.
Back and confident in sourcing outcross Angus genetics that will keep his commercial enterprise at the forefront on the beef industry was West Graham, WJ & FJ Graham, Esperance, who utilised the AuctionsPlus platform to secure the $15,250 second top priced sires.
The 21-month-old Baldridge Beast Mode B074 son out of a Connealy forward daughter was used by the Gandys over stud cows as a yearling due to his growth traits which were all in the top 1pc of the breed.
Diamond One Beast Mode R122 (AI) also expressed a +4.4 scrotal size in the top 1pc, all selection indexes in the top 5pc and a +81 carcase weight in the top 10pc.
Mr Graham said he had selected another top performing Beast Mode son this season as he had a good spread of growth and carcase figures and has a great temperament and well-structured feet, which was a favourable trait of Beast Modes.
"He was used in the Gandys' herd as a yearling which showed that he has promising potential," Mr Graham said.
"I have been purchasing bulls from the stud for three consecutive years and will continue to closely follow their program and the new genetics they have coming through."
Mr Graham also secured a Musgrave 316 Stunner son, Diamond One Stunner R159 (AI) for $9750, which was also highly regarded by the Gandys when it was heavily used as a yearling over cows.
This bull ranked in the top 1pc for 400-day weight (+102), carcase weight (+97) and recorded a 200-day weight of +121 and 600-day weight of +151 in the top 5pc.
The top priced sire, along with the outcross Musgrave Stunner son, will join the Grahams' sire battery for use in their 2000-head Angus self-replacing breeding herd which calves in winter.
They hold their steer calves until 14 to 16 months of age before they send them to the Kylagh feedlot.
The Grahams retain ownership and finish off their yearlings in the feedlot to be sold for the Coles Finest program at 300kg to 310kg carcase weight.
Paying $14,750 for a well-muscled, long bodied bull in lot seven was LT Armstrong & Son, Tutunup.
He was another Musgrave 316 Stunner son which had a carcase figure in the top 10pc and 200-day weight, 400-day weight and rib fat in the top 15pc.
Bacho Holding Pty Ltd, Balbarrup, knew quality when it saw it and secured Diamon One Kaiser R90 (AI), a Granite Ridge Kasier K26 son in the middle of the catalogue for $11,750, while father and son duo Charles and Peter Cowcher, Willandra Farm, Williams, bought a home-bred bull sired by Diamond One Capitalist P38 (AI) for $11,250.
Donnybrook operation Castledene Enterprises secured the growthy Diamond One Weigh Up R279, out of home bred sire Diamond One Weigh Up P148.
Mr McDonnell snapped up a Musgrave 316 Stunner son with a carcase weight in the top 5pc and all growth traits in the top 15pc at $10,000 for buyer TJ & MB Waugh, Manjimup, while also securing another two at $5000 and $6250 for two local Manjimup clients.
Like the past three years Alcoa Farmlands, Pinjarra and Wagerup, was the volume buyer after it purchased seven bulls at a top of $7000 and an average of $6071.
Alcoa Farmlands manager Vaughn Byrd said they were chasing bulls with positive carcase traits to help them focus on processor qualities.
"Being a self-replacing herd, we also concentrate on structural soundness, good milk figures and moderate birthweights when buying sires," Mr Byrd said.
"We have been sourcing Gandy genetics for three consecutive years, having had bought for the first time a number of years ago.
"We believe they are good value for money and are pleased with how they have performed over recent times."
The bulls will join the operation's sire battery which is used to join 3900 predominantly black breeders for a May/June calving period.
Trucking home four moderate framed sires at a top of $9000 and for a $6125 average was Great Northern Cattle Company, Beermullah, while snapping up three bulls out of three different sires was Yarralena Grazing, Cranbrook.
The Cranbrook-based enterprises paid $8750 for lot nine, a Musgrave 316 Stunner son, $7250 for lot 25, a Millah Murrah Nugget N266 son and $7750 for lot 28, a Baldridge Beast Mode B074 son.
There were multiple lot buyers which all secured two bulls each and they included Ludlow Grazing, Busselton, ($7875 average), Mt Fergusen Grazing Company, Boyup Brook ($8000 average), Pemberton Beef, Pemberton, ($6500 average), FG & LV Venables, Yarloop, ($7125 average) and Vinciullo Holdings Pty Ltd ($5125 average).
Kim Gandy said they were pleased with the quality they put forward and greatly appreciated the support they were given on the day, particularly at this time of year.
"Being able to sell bulls earlier on in the season makes managing things a lot easier,'' Mr Gandy said.
"We are rebuilding our numbers and our first calvers are producing top bulls, with 20 lots selling today and reaching weights of 800kg at 18 to 20-months-old which was rewarding to see.
"I would like to thank Elders for the effort they are putting in to help re-establish the former Diamond Tree stud."
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