$23,000 Simmental kicks off bull season

There was plenty of demand at the sale and buyers weren't afraid to bid up given the current position of the cattle market, ensuring a strong start to the season.

In the bull sale prices hit a high of $23,000 for a tradition Simmental sire from the WA College of Agriculture, Denmark's Inlet Views stud.

The AI-bred bull, Inlet Views Reality R009 (P) by Glen Anthony Y-Arta AY02 (P) was purchased by Andrew Hann, Greendale Simmental stud, Esperance.

The next best price in the bull sale was $14,500 paid by AJ Hare & DJ Walker, Bindoon, for an homozygous polled Limousin bull from Kevin Beal's Shannalea stud, Torbay.

All up in the sale, 57 bulls were offered and 54 sold for an average $6861, which was up $774 on last year's result.

Also in the stud sale the Naracoopa Simmental stud, Denmark, offered six stud heifers and sold four to a top of $7500.

In the breeders' sale, prices followed the trend of other female sales this season and were strong throughout with eight Angus PTIC second calvers (three-year-old) leading the way selling to $4600.

The heifers which were PTIC to Angus bulls and due to calve from February 19 to April 1, were sold by the Rochester family, K & M Farming, Manypeaks, as part of a herd dispersal.

The pen was purchased by Clifton Muir, Manjimup.

The majority of the yarding was PTIC heifers which sold to a top of $4450 for a pen of 10 Angus heifers sold by the Smith family, Baboo Pastoral, Green Range, while first-cross Angus-Friesian heifers peaked at $3650 for eight sold by Candyup Farms, Lower Kalgan.

All up there were 731 breeders sold for an average of $3630, which was $1077 increase on last year.

Last year in the sale 1165 breeders sold at an average $2553.

A full report on both sales will be in this week's Farm Weekly.

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