Kamarah Speckles' winter sale sets $20,000 record at Wannamal sale

Following the success of its inaugural production sale last spring, the Howard family's first winter sale fixture returned plenty of positives for the emerging Speckle Park breed with new and return stud and commercial beef producers enjoying selecting from the well-bred and presented line-up of yearling bulls and heifers packed full of leading Speckle Park genetics.

Buyers viewed the cattle at their Wannamal property before heading to the Wannamal hall for the auction while enjoying the family's delicious hospitality.

The sale was also interfaced on AuctionsPlus with strong enquiry logging into the sale both locally and in the Eastern States.

At the end of selling Elders auctioneer Graeme Curry had to toil hard on the line-up of 20 yearling bulls where selective buying support resulted in nine bulls (45 per cent) selling at auction for a $7833 average.

Demand ramped up on the draft of 11 unjoined yearling stud heifers resulting in a complete clearance at an average of $8136.

Kamarah also offered eight semen packages (10 straws each) with 80 straws selling to $190 and average of $110, while nine unjoined commercial first cross Speckle Park yearling heifers sold with buyers' choice of homebred Kamarah sire semen packages, averaged $2694.

Compared to Kamarah's inaugural spring sale, the bull average spiked $1214 from $6619, but from an increased clearance of 21 of 27 bulls (78pc) selling under the hammer.

The heifer average dropped $808 from the spring sale where all 18 heifers sold to an $18,000 record heifer price and averaged $8944.

Semen straw values jumped slightly in average with 80 straws averaging $96.25 at the spring sale where it also sold 16 of 35 embryos to average $1150.

Enquiry continued following the sale with some overlooked bulls finding new homes, including four bulls heading to Pardelup Prison Farm for $5000 each.

Mr Curry said the Speckle Park breed has taken a positive step forward with the amount of genetics entering the commercial industry from Kamarah's spring and winter sales.

"From my experience with the Howard family and their cattle, it was a commercially focused catalogue of cattle," Mr Curry said.

"The cattle were well-inspected, structurally sound, healthy cattle with great temperaments and pedigrees and buyers could purchase with confidence.

"The heifers sold very well but unfortunately demand for bulls was limited however it was positive to see a number of bulls continuing to sell after the sale.

"Outside of three return buyers, it was encouraging to see all other buyers were new clients to the stud and the vendors were prepared to meet the market and get their genetics out into the industry.

"The top-priced bull was exceptionally well-bred and deserving of the stud's new record top price."

Penned in lot four, the early May 2021 born Kamarah Superman S517 was highly touted by the stud and its associates and the speckled coated bull lived up to its name when it sold for the new $20,000 stud record top price to a WA buyer on AuctionsPlus.

The impressive well-bred youngster was sired by Premier 54Z Platinum P5 and out of heifer Kamarah Queen Bee Q206 (by Champagne Pretender).

The 612 kilogram bull was the heaviest calf at all weighings and reflected this in its excellent Speckle Park International EBV performance, ranking in the top 1pc for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, carcase weight (CW) and milk, top 5pc mature cow weight (MCW) and top 10pc scrotal (SC).

It wasn't until the final bull in the catalogue before the $10,500 second top price was recorded, with Kamarah Sonny Boy S498 heading to a Munglinup buyer on AuctionsPlus.

Sired by a Wattle Grove Action Man E28 son Kamarah Lad and out of a River Hill 60W Line Drive 54Z daughter Kamarah Missie, the late May 2021 born bull was the youngest bull in the sale.

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The 502kg Leopard coated, average birthweight bull recorded an even spread of above average performance across most traits with positive fats, top 1pc milk and top 15pc SC.

Kamarah Spud S446 catalogued in lot 15 sold to Cunningham Enterprises WA, Morawa, for the $9500 third top bull price.

The thick leopard skinned Spud was also a Platinum son and out of a Wattle Grove 15R Ransom daughter Kamarah Milly.

The 445kg bull recorded an even spread of above average EBVs for a lower birthweight bull (top 30pc), including top 15-20pc 400-day weight, top 10-15pc 600-day weight, top 5-10pc MCW, top 5pc CW, top 15pc EMA and top 20pc SC.

Buyer Becky Cunningham, coincidentally originally from North Dakota, in the United States, bordering Canada, was first time buyer at Kamarah but had been using Speckle Park bulls in their self-replacing Angus herd for the past couple of years.

Ms Cunningham said they discovered the Speckle Park-Angus cross has bigger growth and carcase weights in their environment.

Multiple bull buyers at auction included a New South Wales buyer on AuctionsPlus collecting two Kamarah bulls while Murray Grey, AA, MA, PR & SJ Grey, Yathroo, operating at the hall also purchased two new bulls.

The sale swung onto the line-up of stud yearling heifers where local and interstate interest competed strongly for the unjoined breeders.

A Bailup buyer on AuctionsPlus entered the sale and made an impact with the $10,500 top priced heifer bid for Kamarah Spitfire S491.

The late May 2021 born speckled skinned heifer was by a Upto Specs Ulysses 25U son Kamarah Quality Control Q294 and out of a Codiak Putnam GNK 61Y daughter Kamarah Nova.

Harris Thompson, Venturon Livestock, Boyup Brook, inspected the cattle on behalf of his Victorian friends Jack Nelson, Jackungah Speckle Park stud and Scott Purcell, Bonkonia Speckle Park stud, and picked out Kamarah Shenanigan S454 before paying the $10,000 second top price on their behalf.

The speckle coated May 1 2021-drop heifer was a Platinum daughter and out of a Kamarah Max daughter Kamarah Play Girl.

Mr Thompson said the heifer was purchased in partnership as a new donor female for their ET programs.

He said he travelled to Canada with Mr Nelson and looked at cattle together.

"We have a similar eye for the type of cattle we like so they trusted me to look at the Kamarah cattle for them," Mr Thompson said.

"She is an elite female to add into their breeding programs and I thought she was the pick of the complete draft on sale day.

"She stood out with a beautiful refined frontend, length of body and overall power."

AuctionsPlus buyers paid the next highest heifer price of $9000 on two occasions.

Firstly for Kamarah Sugar & Spice S416, a speckled late April 2021 born heifer by Line Drive 54Z and a Codiak Crikey GNK 13U daughter Kamarah Kaiya and secondly, at the back of the catalogue, for Kamarah Sicily S502, a speckled coated early June 2021 born heifer by a Star Bank Lacerta 68L son Kamarah Pacific and another Putnam daughter Kamarah Mitzi.

Elders livestock trainee Emma Dougall buying on behalf of Elgin Dairies, Boyanup, via phone, collected two heifers costing $8000 and $8500.

The Bailup buyer online purchased five of the eight semen packages (10 straws each) offered paying the $190 (per straw) top price for 10 straws of Maungahina Nugget (by Maungahina Legacy), along with 20 straws of Maungahina Lauaki (by Spots n Sprouts Stands Alone) for $80 each and 20 straws of Kamarah Ricochet R339 (by Minnamurra Marlin M4) costing to $120.

The sale finished off with two drafts of unjoined commercial first cross Speckle Park heifers with both drafts heading to a new home of PJ Piercy, Waroona.

The Piercys paid $2750 for four Speckle Park-Angus heifers averaging 365kg and $2650 for five Speckle Park-Murray Grey heifers weighing 382kg.

This added to a bull by Platinum ($5000) and a Kamarah Q's Leggacy Q228 daughter ($6500) purchased earlier in the sale.