EASTERN States' Murray Grey genetics are heading west after the Wise family, Southend Murray Grey stud, Katanning, purchased Ondiong Senator S30 privately for $40,000 recently.
The price tag is believed to be the highest-price paid for a Murray Grey bull in Australia for more than 30 years.
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In search of a new stud sire, the Wise family made a quick two-day trip to New South Wales to look at some Murray Grey herds, including the Francis family's Ondiong stud herd at Dorrigo on the Northern Tablelands in the State's north.
Southend stud co-principal Kurt Wise said Senator S30 was the sire he had been looking for.
"A lot of thickness and spring of rib," Mr Wise said.
"It is a bull that is very hard to fault with great doing ability and an outstanding pedigree on its sire and dams side.
"A big consideration for me is the maternal line with Senator S30's maternal line is outstanding.
"Overall it is a similar type animal to the Southend herd and offers a full outcross for our herd."
The 18-month-old bull was sired by a Cullenya Fisher son Ondiong Dynasty L29 and out of an Ondiong Don X20 daughter Ondiong Debbie 124th.
He tipped the scales at more than 800kg and scanned 122cm2 eye muscle area (EMA), 9mm and 6mm fats and 5.6 intra muscular fats while recording a good spread of growth and carcase EBVs and indexes.
These included ranking in the top 1-5 per cent of the breed for 200-day weight (+38) and retail beef yield (+1.4), top 5-10pc for 400-day weight (+55), 600-day weight (+76), mature cow weight (+80) and EMA (+2.8), top 5pc carcase weight (+51) and milk (+8), top 20pc scrotal (+1.0) and top 30pc gestation length with its indexes in the top 5-10pc vealer terminal, top 10-15pc heavy grassfed and top 15-20pc supermarket.
The Ondiong Murray Grey stud was established in the 1960s and joins on average 200 registered females annually.
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Ondiong stud co-principal Paul Francis said Senator S30 was one of the most exciting young sire prospects produced by the stud.
"Senator S30 looks like what his breeding and Breedplan figures say, a super exciting young sire that will do a great job in the Southend stud," Mr Francis said.
"His mother has produced nine calves with six daughters retained in the stud and all elite breeding females.
"One of Senator's brothers was the top-priced bull at the Top Of The Range Bull Sale at Glen Innes, NSW, four years ago and a full sister has recently been sold as the pick of the Ondiong females to a Victorian stud.
"His weight of more than 800kg is off pasture only and is more than 100kg heavier than most of his paddock mates, while his eye muscle scan of 122cm2 is the largest of the herd's yearling bulls to date.
"Senator's sire is the most consistent producer of the heaviest, easy-doing, well-muscled progeny of any sire used in the Ondiong herd."
