After last month's Elders Boyanup Supreme Springing Heifer Sale, the focus for Elders has shifted to its unjoined first-cross heifer offering in its monthly store sale at Boyanup next week.
The sale on Friday, January 19, commencing at 9am, will be a must for producers looking for replacement first-cross heifers for this year's mating program.
On offer in the feature unjoined first-cross heifer section of the sale will be 377 quality, bucket-reared females, which all come highly recommended.
Following the run of first-cross heifers will be an excellent yarding of close to 1000 store cattle comprising mainly of beef steers and heifers, Friesian steers and breeders.
Elders, South West livestock manager Michael Carroll said the January store sale was the perfect sale to secure cattle especially if you are in the market for unjoined, first-cross heifers with these being the feature of this sale.
"For the sale the Elders South West team has put together an outstanding line-up of first-cross heifers and as they are the feature of the sale, they will lead the sale," Mr Carroll said.
"Following last month's PTIC first-cross heifer sales, this line-up of heifers will provide the perfect opportunity for producers to restock after selling mated heifers or for those looking to replace cull cows.
"The majority of the heifers on offer are Angus-Friesians and a large number of these will be ready to mate this coming season.
"All of these first-cross heifers are bucket reared, guaranteed unmated (GUM) and fit to breed.
"Also included in the sale line-up will be a good line-up of beef steers and heifers and a good selection of dairy steers which will range in age from four to 18 months.
"The sale will round out with a sizable offering of breeders both cows and heifers."
Angus-Friesian first-cross heifers will make up the majority of the first-cross heifer yarding with more than 290 nominated and these will range in age from nine to 24 months.
Along with the Angus-Friesian heifers there will also be 55 Murray Grey-Friesians, 25 Hereford-Friesians, 12 Speckle Park-Friesians, six Shorthorn-Friesians and 10 Simmental-Friesians on offer from the 15 vendors featuring in the first-cross heifer run.
The selected drafts of first-cross, unjoined females have all been inspected by members of the Elders South West livestock team for quality and soundness so buyers can buy with confidence.
Not only will the quality be unquestionable so will their future breeding status of the heifers as each heifer will be offered as guaranteed unmated and fit to breed.
The largest vendor of first-cross heifers in the sale will be L & V Fitzpatrick, Waroona, who was nominated 70 Angus-Friesian heifers, aged 9-10 months old.
Elders, Waroona representative Wade Krawczyk said the heifers will be the first offering of first-cross heifers from the Fitzpatricks high performance milking herd.
"They are from a single sire AI joining to Tehama Patriarch F028," Mr Krawczyk.
"They are of good quality and are exceptionally quiet.
"They have also been well looked after in terms of all the health treatments.
"The better breeding types will be offered in the first-cross feature section of the sale while the rest will be offered later as part of the store sale offering."
Another large vendor first-cross heifer run will be J & C & R Drennan, Waterloo, with an offering of 45 Angus-Friesian heifers.
The 12-18mo owner-bred heifers are based on Gandy and Blackrock Angus bloodlines.
Return vendors the Duggan family, P & T Duggan, Cowaramup, will also be among the bigger vendors in the run with Angus-Friesian heifers.
The Duggans have nominated 30 sweet black, owner-bred heifers from their sizable dairy enterprise.
The 16-20mo heifers, which are very quiet, are sired by Monterey Angus bulls.
Elders, Margaret River agent Alec Williams said the heifers on offer from the Duggan family were large framed, in good condition and would be suitable for joining this season.
"They are good feminine types," Mr Williams said.
"They are an ideal line of heifers to join for replacements or mate for special breeders sales."
Another big line in the run of Angus-Friesian heifers will be offered by KL & AJ Jilley, Elgin, which has nominated 39 Angus-Friesian heifers aged 18-20 months.
Regular vendors of unjoined Angus-Friesian heifers
JP Giumelli & Sons, Ferguson and Benger, will feature in the line-up with an offering of 15 Angus-Friesian heifers from its dairy operation.
The owner-bred heifers are sired by Little Meadows Angus bulls and range in age from 14-16 months old.
Elders, Boyanup and Dardanup representative Alex Roberts said they were a very good line of well-grown, well-bred heifers which will be ready to join this season.
"They are very quiet and in good forward condition," Mr Roberts said.
When it comes to the Hereford-Friesian heifers on offer the Tyrrell family, KG & KM Tyrrell, Waterloo, will offer the largest numbers.
Their offering for the sale will consist of 20 Hereford-Friesian heifers aged 16-18 months, along with four Angus-Friesian heifers (16-18mo) which are all owner-bred.
Mr Roberts said the Tyrrells were regular suppliers of quiet, well-grown Hereford-Friesian heifers and the offering in this sale would be no different.
"The heifers they will offer are well-grown for their age and extremely quiet," Mr Roberts said.
They are up-to-date with their 7in1 vaccinations and were recently drenched.
Dardanup-based BJ Depiazzi will offer the only Speckle Park-Friesian heifers when it trucks in 12 heifers of this description aged 14-18mo, along with 16 Angus-Friesian heifers (14-18mo) and five Hereford-Friesian heifers (16-18mo).
Mr Roberts said the Depiazzi heifers were all owner-bred and the Speckle Park and Angus heifers were by AI sires.
"They are all very quiet, well grown and of mateable size," Mr Roberts said.
As in previous years Murray Taylor, Uduc Brook Farms, Harvey, will again be the major vendor when it comes to heifers that aren't black.
This year Uduc Brook Farms will offer 40 owner-bred Murray Grey-Friesian heifers from its dairy enterprise which is currently milking 250 Friesian cows based on Australian bloodlines.
The extremely quiet, 16-20mo heifers are sired by Young Guns Murray Grey bulls and out of Friesian heifers.
The heifers will be vet-checked suitable to breed prior to the sale and have received full health treatments.
Elders, Collie/Brunswick agent Craig Martin said Uduc Brook Farms are long-time producers of Murray Grey-Friesian heifers.
"Annual draft of quiet, well-handled cattle from the largest vendor of Murray Grey F1 heifers," he said.
Return vendors FE & PA Parravicini, Cookernup, will offer 15 owner-bred Angus-Friesian heifers from the family's 200 cow dairy herd enterprise.
The annual draft of heifers aged 16-18 months are sired by Hydillowah Angus bulls which Mr Martin said are specially selected to breed top class first cross heifers.
Fellow return vendors RJ & G Parravicini, Harvey, will offer 12 Angus-Friesian heifers from their own dairy enterprise of 200 Friesians based on AI genetics.
The draft is also aged 16-18 months and Mr Martin said the family has been selling first cross heifers from their high production dairy herd for years which are always well sought after.
On the store cattle front, there will be a number of larger drafts in the 1000-strong store yarding offered in conjunction with the unjoined first cross female feature sale.
Heading the beef steer line-up will be GJ & GM Allen with a draft of 70 Angus steers aged 10-12 months and estimated to weigh from 300-360kg.
Toohey Farm has nominated 35 Angus steers also aged 10-12 months, but will be heavier in the 390-400kg weight range, while Continental Engineering will truck in 25 Angus steer yearlings aged 18-20 months which are expected to weigh 430-450kg.
Norsca will have the largest draft of beef heifers with 30 Angus cross heifers aged eight to 10 months and weighing from 300-330kg in addition to 14 steers of the same description.
In the line-up of dairy origin cattle, J Allen has nominated a draft of 25 first cross Angus-Friesian steers aged 16-18 months while a slightly younger line of 20 Angus-Friesian steers aged 12-14 months will come into the sale from paddocks of DA Campbell.
Big drafts from well-known regular vendors will feature in the Friesian steer run.
Jesmond Dairy, Rosa Glen, will present 100 Friesian steers aged 14-18 months while Olst. Investment Pty Ltd will also offer 100 Friesian steers, slightly younger at 10-12 months.
Other larger vendors of Friesian steers include
P Ganfield with 51 steers aged 14-16 months, AD & E Rowe who will offer 40 steers aged 10-14 months and sale regulars of young diary cattle from their professional calf rearing enterprise, CA Panetta, Harvey, has nominated 30 steers aged six to eight months.
Rounding out the sale will be a fair selection of breeding beef females.
Included in this section of the yarding will be 30 Red Angus heifers offered by J Vanderschaaf.
The 20-24 month-old heifers have been running with a Red Angus bull from April 21 to July 26, 2023.
RW Bevan will present a line of 30 Angus/Murray Grey mixed aged PTIC cows.
