Little Meadows Angus peaks at $35,000 at Dardanup

For consecutive years the sale has now seen stud records broken in terms of top price, sale average and gross as buyers chase the highly regarded Little Meadows genetics.

In the sale last week prices hit a high of $35,000, to better last year's record by $10,000, while the sale averaged $12,203, to smash last year's record-breaking average figure by $1918 and the gross of $903,000 was up more than $230,000 or 35 per cent.

In the sale the Golding family presented an increased line-up of 74 well-bred and well-grown bulls packed with leading Australian and international genetics and they were all well received by buyers, who showed they weren't afraid to bid up on the bulls despite the correction in the cattle market over the past 12 months.

Right through the sale, the 50 registered buyers around the ring from as far east as Esperance and north to Geraldton were strong in their bidding.

The sale was again interfaced on AuctionsPlus where the catalogue received 3109 views which helped yield another 60 registered bidders logged in from WA, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia and these bidders placed 55 online bids across 11 lots to add further competition to the sale.

This strong competition from buyers both in the stands and online resulted in more than 19 bulls selling for $15,000 or more which helped the stud achieve its record result.

However, while there was a large number of bulls to sell at $15,000 or more, there was still room for buyers with smaller budgets as there were 26 bulls which made less than $10,000.

When the final bull was knocked down by the joint Elders and Delaney Livestock Services selling team led by Elders auctioneer Pearce Watling and the numbers crunched, the stud had cleared all 74 bulls offered to 29 different buyers at the $12,203 record stud average.

By comparison in last year's sale, the Goldings offered and sold 65 bulls to 39 different buyers at an average of $10,285, while in 2021 it sold 53 from 63 bulls at an average of $7217.

Mr Watling said it was a fantastic sale for the Little Meadows stud.

"The Golding family offered a very even draft of quality bulls from start to finish and this was reflected in the bidding throughout," Mr Watling said.

"There was good local buying support as well as support from buyers as far north as Geraldton and east to Esperance.

"Throughout the sale buyers were certainly chasing bulls with the right data sets as well as those with good phenotypes.

"Given the current position of the cattle industry following the correction in the market over the past 12 months, the result achieved was terrific for the Golding family and a reward for all the hard work and their investment in new genetics."

Equally as happy with the terrific sale result was Delaney Livestock Services' Daniel Delaney who said it was a really strong sale from start to finish.

"It was a quality line-up of bulls and they all sold to strong demand, with many having multiple bidders operating on them," Mr Delaney.

"Once again the sale was well-supported by mostly repeat buyers but they were joined by a handful of new buyers operating for the first time.

"The strong support the stud receives each year from repeat buyers is a credit to the Golding's breeding program and their after sales service."

It didn't take long for the tone of the sale to be set when Little Meadows Stringer S62 entered the ring in lot four and Mr Watling found an opening bid of $15,000 on the well-made bull from one of the stud's top female lines.

From there, there was only one way to go with the price and that was up, which it certainly did surpassing both the $20,000 and $30,000 marks before finally stopping at $35,000 when John and Dale Jansen, Fernwood Farm, Preston Valley, placed the winning bid.

The AI-bred, early May 2021-drop bull is a son of Rennylea L519 and out of Little Meadows Edwina Q118, which is a daughter of Baldridge Beast Mode B074.

Ms Jansen said she and her husband had been buying from the Goldings for 20 years and the stud's genetics had helped build up the quality of their herd.

"We wouldn't consider buying anywhere else as the Goldings are 100pc committed to what they are doing and they look after you," Ms Jansen said.

"I feel very lucky to have been able to secure this bull as I haven't seen a bull which is as quiet and as well-balanced as he is.

"I think he is one of the best Angus bulls I have seen and definitely the best bull I have seen at Little Meadows in 20 years of buying.

"I looked at the bulls a month ago and had another bull picked out to buy but Tony (Golding) suggested I take another look at this bull as he would suit us better so I did on sale day.

"When I saw him at the sale he had changed so much since I had last seen the bulls and on the day he was the clear standout.

"He is a very balanced bull across the board. He has the right muscling, a moderate frame, is very correct, has a terrific temperament and an exceptional set of figures.

"You don't get a bull like him every day and we just had to have him and I think he will work well over our cows.

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"We only run a small herd of 40 breeders since we moved to the Preston Valley from Gingin, but we want to run the best."

Along with a great presence and great shape, the 990 kilogram Stringer S62 also had an equally impressive set of EBVs of +4.8 for calving ease direct, +3.7 for calving ease daughters, -8.4 gestation length (GL), +5.2 birthweight (BWT), +74, +130 and +178 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +174 mature cow weight (MCW), +12 milk, +3.0 scrotal size (SS), -6.4 days to calving (DTC), +101 carcase weight (CWT), +5.6 EMA, -0.1 rib fat, -1.9 P8 fat, +0.2 retail beef yield (RBY), +2.0 IMF, +0.31 feed efficiency (NFI-F), +38 docility (DOC), +0.82 claw set, +1.10 foot angle and +0.96 leg angle.

With figures Stringer S62 ranks in the top one per cent of the breed for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, MCW and CWT, top 4pc DOC and top 7pc GL, while it is in the top 1pc for the $A-L index at +$484 and top 3pc for the $A index at +$260.

Also surpassing the stud's previous best price was another Rennylea L519 son, Little Meadows Spalding S53, in lot 23 when it sold at $30,000 to John Annear, Trafalgar stud, Carbunup, who left buying instructions with Elders, Busselton representative Jacques Martinson.

The late April 2021-drop, AI-bred, 848kg Spalding S53 ranks in the top 6pc for EMA, top 8pc for GL, top 9pc leg angle, top 11pc for milk, as well as top 15-20pc for 200-day weight, DTC, RBY and DOC while in terms of its indexes it ranks in the top 3pc for the $A index (+$261) and top 5pc for the $A-L index (+$420).

The third top price was $25,000 and it was paid by return buyer the Rosener family, AE Roesner Nominees, Marybrook, for lot three Little Meadows Spearhead S86.

The AI-bred, May 2021-drop 940kg Spearhead is a son of Rennylea L519 and it is in the top 4pc for P8 fat, top 5pc for EMA and rib fat, while it is in the top 6pc for the $A-L index and top 8pc for the $A index.

The Roesner family's farm manager Chris Davis said he picked Spearhead S86 out at the stud's field day.

"We were looking for a Rennylea L519 son for the herd as we wanted a new bloodline and this bull ticked plenty of boxes," Mr Davis said.

"He has great figures and comes from a great cow family, plus he is visually very appealing.

"We will use him over cows and heifers as a backup to our AI program."

Being on tour in Tasmania with the Esperance ASHEEP group didn't stop Wes Graham, WJ & FJ Graham and Monjingup Angus, Esperance, operating in the sale.

Bidding through AuctionsPlus, Mr Graham competed on the two Rennylea L519 sons that sold for the sale's top and second top price and while he might have missed out on these, he did successfully acquire one in lot 11, Little Meadows Sterling S6, for the $21,500 fourth top price.

The AI-bred Sterling S6, which was dropped in April 2021 and weighed 906kg, ranks in the top 4pc for GL, top 6pc for CWT, top 7pc for 400 and 600-day weights, top 8pc for 200-day weight and DOC and top 9pc for MCW.

Mr Graham said the Rennylea L519 sons were good all round bulls.

"They are very correct in the feet and also structurally, plus they are smart style bulls with balance and great temperaments," he said.

"I saw a couple of Rennylea 519 sons which are catalogued up the front of the Landfall Angus sale later this month when the tour visited their property last week in Tasmania and their correctness and balance stood out."

Along with securing Sterling S6, Mr Graham also purchased a Te Mania Newly N549 son in lot 38 that ranks in the top 1pc for leg angle and top 4pc for milk for $18,000 and a Pathfinder Nucleus N56 son in lot 27 that ranks in the top 1pc for foot angle at $13,000.

Mr Graham said the Pathfinder Nucleus and Te Mania Newly sons would also be new genetic material for his herd and all three bulls would be used as herd sires in his 2500 strong Angus breeding herd which calves in May-June.

There were a number of other buyers, which bid up strongly and paid more than $15,000 for their selections and these included Semini Enterprises Pty Ltd, Cowaramup, which paid $19,000 for a Pathfinder Nucleus N56 son that is in top 2pc for EMA as well as top 4-5pc for rib fat, P8 fat, leg angle and both the $A and $A-L indexes.

Also heading to the Cowaramup property at $13,000 was a Baldridge Beast Mode B074 son.

Others to spend at the top end included HM & OE Hopkins, Chapman Hill, which paid $18,000 and $15,000 for two Rennylea L519 sons, while a buyer from Dandaragan operating on AuctionsPlus, purchased a Te Mania Newly N549 son at $18,000 as well as a Pathfinder Nucleus N56 son at $11,000.

Supporting the catalogue strongly, purchasing six bulls to a top of $15,000 twice and an average of $11,833 was the Hough family, 5PH Grazing, Esperance, who have been buying from the stud for more than 10 years

The Hough's $15,000 purchases were a Te Mania Newly N549 son, which is in the top 5pc for MCW and SS and a Rennylea L519 son that is in the top 5pc for EMA, DOC and the $A index.

Peter Hough said he was chasing bulls by Rennylea L519 as it would be a new bloodline for his herd as well as Te Mania Newly N549 sons, as he bought bulls by this sire last year and their calves which are currently hitting the ground look good.

"I was chasing sires with a moderate birthweight figure, good 200 and 400-day weight numbers and good carcase weight and EMA values," Mr Hough said.

Mr Hough said they have continued to return and buy from Little Meadows over such a long period as they have always had good results from the stud's bulls and because of the longevity of the Little Meadows cattle.

"Their bulls also always breed really nice females which is important as we are a self-replacing herd," Mr Hough said.

Despite his six bulls Mr Hough wasn't the biggest buyer, that title went to independent agent Allen Bentham, WA Livestock Agency.

During the sale Mr Bentham put together a team of 20 bulls to a top of $16,000 and an average of $11,300 for a number of different buyers based in Gingin, Bindoon, Pinjarra, Waroona and Donnybrook.

Mr Bentham said he was chasing sires with good growth for both heifer and cow joinings.

Along with buying a significant portion of the catalogue, Mr Bentham finished the day buying a very special blue roan Angus PTIC heifer at $11,000.

The heifer, which was PTIC to Little Meadows Royal Flush R65, was donated by longtime Little Meadows clients Owen and Glenda Hopkins, HM & OM Hopkins, Chapman Hill and its proceeds were being donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.