THE bull selling season kicked off on Tuesday with the first sale of the year, the Nutrien Livestock Great Southern Blue Ribbon Female and All Breeds Bull Sale at Mt Barker and it didn't disappoint.
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.
Want weekly news highlights delivered to your inbox? Sign up to the Farm Weekly newsletter.