Limousin and Angus bulls shared $12,000 top-priced honours at Brunswick

There was a great show of support from the South West cattle industry and online for the Mamo family's new sale which has been 16 years in the making and yielded 25 buyers registering at the sale and with interest Australia wide including more than 20 registered buyers on AuctionsPlus.

The family's inaugural sale catalogue of 24 rising two-year-old beautifully quiet Limousin and Angus bulls were well-bred and presented and featured plenty of leading genetics in line with the stud's overarching breeding objective 'Optimise client production systems by securing genetics that will improve production performance in real working conditions'.

It appeared active buyers were chasing specific bulls and showed they were keen to bid up on these selections.

Most of these bulls sold very well but unfortunately the selective nature of the sale resulted in a number of bulls being overlooked.

At the completion of selling the Elders selling team led by auctioneer Nathan King with Eastern States' agency H. Francis & Co, New South Wales, had sold 11 bulls at auction (49 per cent) at a solid first up average of $7909.

Negotiations were continuing following the sale which hopefully saw plenty more Balamara bulls find new homes.

In the breed breakdown, eight of the 14 Black and five traditional Limousin bulls sold under the hammer for a $8125 average, while three of five Angus bulls were cleared under the hammer for an average of $7333.

A run of six Black Limousin bulls got the sale underway with the first of the $12,000 price tags paid for Balamara Now or Never S33 in lot four going to the winning bid of Pearce Watling, Elders Donnybrook, representing Phil Cavoto, Cavoto Brothers, Donnybrook, who has supported Balamara in the past.

The 745kg heterozygous polled bull was a late March 2021 born son of Balamara Now or Never (by Wulfs Zane X238Z) and out of a Wulfs Ztractor X233X daughter Balamara Marguerite.

The bull was a safe heifer option with a top 15pc birthweight and top 10-15pc calving ease (CED Dir) but still had plenty of above average growth and top 15pc eye muscle area (EMA), top 20pc carcase weight (CW) and top 25pc intra muscular fat (IMF) and domestic market index (DM$).

Mr Cavoto who farms with his brother Dennis, said the bull would be used as a terminal sire over their Angus cow herd to calve from mid-February to end of April.

Calves are weaned in November and targeted toward local weaner sales averaging about 360-370kg.

He said it was a safe and sound bull and liked its frame and structure, feet and shape.

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Mr Watling was again involved in the $12,000 top-priced Angus bull representing the Armstrong family, Willowbank, Benger, to secure Balamara Superhero S17.

The impressive 886kg bull was an early April 2021 born AI-bred son of S Chisum 255 and the first calf of Koojan Hills Q189.

The moderate birthweight, high growth and indexing calving ease bull recorded an excellent spread of data ranking in the breed's top 5-10pc for CEDtrs, top 20-25pc CEDir, top 10pc 200-DW, top 20pc 400-DW, top 20pc milk and SC, top 20-25pc CW, top 10pc $A index, top 10-15pc $A-L index and top 15pc docility with positive fats.

Kevin Armstrong, who was at the sale with his son Bradley and his wife Jess, said it is a very well-bred bull which they would use over heifers by the Little Meadows bull they purchased last year.

Daniel Delaney, Delaney Livestock Services, bid the sale's $11,500 second top price in the second run of Limousin bulls.

He secured Black Limousin bull Balamara Now Or Never S37 on behalf of Westcoast Farming, Cowaramup, which was another heterozygous polled late March 2021 born son of Now or Never and out of influential cow Maryvale Hot Butter H201 (by TMF Westwood 505W).

Its outstanding Breedplan performance showed it was the complete package with low birthweight (top 25pc), top 10-15pc gestation length (GL), top 5-10pc 600-DW and mature cow weight (MCW), top 10-15pc 200 and 400-DW, top 1-5pc CW and docility, top 5pc IMF, top 1-5pc northern terminal index (NE$), top 5-10pc eastern market index (EM$), top 20-25pc DM$, top 25pc milk and positive fats (top 10-15pc).

Mr Delaney earlier secured Black Limousin bull Balamara Zane S16 for $10,000 on behalf of OM Dunnet & Co, Nannup.

The 792kg scurred late March 2021 born bull was by Wulfs Zane X238Z and an Ionesco daughter Premier Exotic C39 with an even spread of Breedplan performance from a moderate birthweight including top 15-20pc CED Dir, top 25pc for all weight intervals and CW, top 10-15pc MCW, positive fats and top 15-20pc docility.

Kim Dunnet said it was a good line-up of bulls for the Mamo's first sale and his new bull stood out for him.

"We look for plenty of frame," Mr Dunnet said.

"Its feet are more than acceptable for our area where stone bruising can be a big issue in the winter if feet are soft.

"He came across as very docile, the Limousin breed has done a lot of work on this since their introduction to the Australian beef industry and Michael Mamo has done a particularly good job.

"We have used a lot of Limousin bulls and are more than happy with the results of the breed."

The bull will be used as a terminal sire over the Dunnet's first cross cows where they turn off milk-fed baby beef and grass-fed yearlings for the supermarket trade.

Alex Roberts, Elders Boyanup, paid the sale's $8000 top price for a traditional apricot coated Limousin bull, a 792kg homozygous polled mid-March 2021 born son of DVFC Cookie Monster 108H and a Wulfs Spring Loaded 3158S daughter Flemington Courtenay F18.

Two Black Simmental bulls are heading for New South Wales stud duties including Balamara King Of Hearts S29 to Jacob Kerris, JC Cattle Co Limousin stud, Wagga Wagga, who was surprised to secure him for $7000.

Mr Kerris said he liked the genetics behind his new sire along with an awesome data set, beautiful phenotype growth for age and was a perfect bull to match in with their cows.