The Thompson family celebrated its 30th anniversary of breeding stud Charolais cattle with a gratifying result at its Venturon Livestock on-property bull sale at Boyup Brook last Friday.
A big crowd of buyers, agents, stud supporters and family attended the fourth annual Venturon Livestock sale in recognition of the Thompson family's special milestone and achievements with its cattle breeding.
Attendees enjoyed perusing the sale team of 50 quality, well-bred and presented rising two-year-old Charolais and Angus bulls - which were comfortably spread out among the large viewing pens for buyers to casually inspect before heading into the sale complex to enjoy the Venturon Livestock team's country hospitality.
To celebrate three decades of Charolais breeding, the Thompson family 'unlocked the genetic vault' to the heart of its Charolais herd by offering a special selection of genetics never offered before.
This rare genetic opportunity included the pick of the 2023-drop stud heifers, embryo and semen packages and the pick of the donor female herd flush.
This attracted strong Charolais stud enquiry from Western Australia and throughout Australia at the sale and online, with buyers keen to get their hands on some leading Charolais genetics.
There were 54 buyers registered at the sale, with strong local support joining buyers from the South West, South Coast, Great Southern, northern Wheatbelt and interstate.
The sale was interfaced on AuctionsPlus with 35 registered bidders logged in from WA and throughout the country, along with a further 54 viewers watching the sale.
Prior to the sale, it received 2127 catalogue views and yielded 11 active online bidders who placed a total of 41 bids across 20 lots - with 13 selling to stud and commercial online buyers from WA, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
At the completion of selling, the Thompson family breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Elders and Nutrien Livestock selling teams, headed by Elders auctioneer Pearce Watling, sold a significantly increased number of bulls compared to last year's sale with 47 Charolais and Angus bulls selling under the hammer (94 per cent clearance).
Like most bull sales so far this season where values are back, reflecting the current market and seasonal climate, Venturon's sale was no exception - with this year's overall average of $7649 back $2548 on last year's sale where 33 of 47 Charolais and Angus bulls (70pc) sold at auction to average $10,197.
In the breed breakdown, 22 Charolais bulls sold under the hammer for a $7341 average and felt the biggest pinch in values to be back $4597 on last year's sale where 16 bulls of 25 bulls (64pc) sold at auction for a healthy average of $11,938.
The team of Angus bulls enjoyed a complete clearance with 25 bulls recording an average of $7920, which was marginally down by $639 on last year when 17 of 22 Angus bulls (77pc) sold under the hammer.
In the special Charolais genetic offering, the pick of the Charolais heifer drop sold for $10,000, pick of the donor flush $7000, embryo packages sold for $950 each and semen packages topped at $210.
A team of six Murray Grey bulls were offered under the helmsman auction system during proceedings, with three bulls finding new homes at three different South West properties for $5000 each.
This year's $16,000 top-priced honours went to show champion Angus bull Venturon Timeless T73 with David Lindberg, Elders, Albany, placing the successful top bid on behalf of repeat buyers Darren and Donelle Barker, DT Barker, Denmark.
The big powerful 910kg mid-April 2022 born bull by Roseleigh Quarterback Q19 and out of a Plattemere Weigh Up K360 daughter Diamond Tree Weigh Up M114, went unbeaten in its every bull showing last year including being crowned the interbreed junior champion bull at the Perth Royal Show.
Mr Lindberg said the bull was the physical package he liked.
"He's got everything you want - well-balanced, long and an all-round good looking bull," Mr Lindberg said.
The Barker family runs a self-replacing Angus breeding herd which calves from March onwards for 12 weeks.
Calves are weaned in December and backgrounded until March and at about 380kg and sold to a lotfeeder,who Mr Lindberg said likes the Barker family's calves and buys them every year.
Late in the sale, Mr Lindberg added a soft spring 2022-drop, Dunoon Prime Minister P758, for $5000 to the Barker's account.
Charolais bulls
Regular buyers at the top-end of stud and commercial cattle markets, the Dunnet family, OM Dunnet & Co, Nannup, went to script when paying the sale's $11,000 top Charolais bull price for Venturon Tax Free T40.
The impressive AI-bred polled bull was a late March 2022 born bull by Turnbulls Duty-Free 358D and out of a Kooyong Kirwan K58 daughter, Venturon Nikki N14.
The correct bull tipped the scales at 902kg and displayed a strong spread of Breedplan data ranking in the breed's top 25-30pc for calving ease traits, top 10pc gestation length (GL), 200-day weight (DW), scrotal (SC) and northern maternal index (NMI), top 15pc 600-DW, top 20pc 400-DW and top 25pc domestic terminal index (NTI).
Buyer Kim Dunnet said their new bull was a more versatile type compared to their other selection, which was a more traditional Charolais.
"Compact bull, lower and longer but still similar weight to our other selection," Mr Dunnet said.
"He should produce some nice shaped calves out of our first and second cross, with potential to retain some of its heifers for replacements."
The Dunnet family run a breeding herd of predominantly Angus-Friesian and some Euro-Friesian F1 and F2 breeding females, which calve over a six month window to mainly Angus, Limousin and Charolais bulls to breed their own F2 replacements and primarily supply their certified grass fed yearling program for the supermarket trade and - to a lesser degree -the milk-fed vealer market.
They also purchased an Angus bull for $7000, a 962kg late January 2022 born son of Bushs Easy Decision 98, which had been used in the Venturon stud as a yearling.
The sale's next highest price of $10,000 was paid by two buyers who each collected two Charolais bulls at the sale.
Katie Ryan, Central Stockcare, Bullsbrook, was first to pay five figures for Venturon Takin The Taxes T30, an ET-bred mid-March 2022 born son of Turnbulls Duty-Free 358D and Venturon Naughty But Nice N31.
The classy high indexing homozygous polled 912kg bull recorded an impressive set of figures, particularly for a lower birthweight bull (top 25pc), ranking in the top 1pc for NMI and SC, top 5pc for all weight intervals, carcase weight (CW) and DTI, top 10pc GL, top 15pc MCW and top 20pc milk.
Ms Ryan paid $8000 for the first bull offered, a 'pick of the pair' of ET-bred spring 2022-drop homozygous polled bulls by SVY Trust 6H and Naughty But Nice N31 with Venturon retaining its brother in the stud.
Third-year Venturon buyer John Miell, JR & WR Miell, Narrikup, also paid to $10,000 for his two selections, an early May 2022 born bull by Rosso VL Commissioner 62Q and a Venturon Crusty Demon daughter - Venturon Gayle G35.
The 880kg polled bull also recorded strong Breedplan performance ranking in the top 5pc for 400 and 600-DW and CW, top 10pc DTI and MCW, top 15pc 200-DW and milk and positive fats.
Mr Miell's other purchase was a homozygous polled, AI-bred bull by HRJ Fan Favourite 804F for $8000.
Two bulls are heading to new homes in Queensland via two buyers on AuctionsPlus at good value, while other multiple Charolais bull buyers with two each were Tonepark Park Farms, Tonebridge, Gabyon Pastoral Company, Irwin, RH Norman & Son, Busselton, through Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook agent Jamie Abbs and McIntyre Ag Pty Ltd, Waroona.
Angus bulls
Venturon Tundra T19 followed its top price predecessor in the catalogue and didn't disappoint when it was knocked down for the sale's $14,000 second top price to the losing bidders on the top-priced bull Darke Family Trust, Boyup Brook, assisted by their livestock agent of 31 years Mr Abbs.
The 860kg bull was an early March 2022 born son of Knowla Monty M186 and a Diamond Tree M177 daughter - Venturon Prosecco P18 - with figures favoured to easy calving ranking in the top 5-10pc for calving ease, top 10pc GL and top 15pc birthweight.
Buyer Anna Darke said they selected the two bulls as their picks at Venturon's inspection day prior to the sale for their evenness, conformation and overall soundness and their new bull will be used over their third and fourth calvers.
The Darke family run 150 Angus breeders, which calve from March.
Calves are weaned in December-January and carried through on silage and grass to heavy backgrounding weights of about 450kg at 12-14 months of age.
The next highest Angus bull price was $11,000 paid by a Chapman Hill buyer operating on AuctionsPlus, securing Venturon Beastmode T174, a late August 2022 born bull by Baldridge Beast Mode B74 and a AAR Ten X 7008 daughter, Diamond Tree Ten X M64.
The younger 720kg bull recorded curve-bending figures from its low birthweight (top 10pc) and calving ease (top 5-10pc) to top 5pc 200 and 400-DW, SC, retail beef yield (RBY), $A-L index, top 10pc $A index and top 15pc 600-DW, CW and EMA.
Four other buyers bid to five figures for their selections.
It started with the special offering of two yearling bulls to give buyer's an early look at one of Venturon's latest high profile sire recruits Alpine Real Deal R163.
Tom Wilding-Davies, Premium Livestock Solutions, Holbrook, New South Wales, collected the first for $10,000 on behalf of a client, while a Pemberton buyer on AuctionsPlus paid $9500 for the brother.
Yondalee Farms, Boyup Brook, paid $10,000 for a 918kg late January 2022-born Beast Mode B74 and Coonamble F194 son with weight intervals ranking in the top 5-10pc and top 15pc CW and RBY.
A couple of lots later and the $10,000 price tag was paid again by Kanangara Grazing, Manjimup, for a mid-May 2022-born son of Millah Murrah Paratrooper P15 and Diamond Tree Ten X M64, with the 824kg bull recording explosive growth as a trait leader for 400 and 600-DW, top 5pc 200-DW, MCW, CW and $A-L index, top 10pc GL and top 15pc CE Dir and $A index.
The other buyer to bid $10,000 was PD Ryan & Co, for a 776kg mid-May 2022 born bull by Dunnon Prime Minister P758 and Coonamble F194, a higher indexing bull (top 20-25pc) from a lower birthweight and top 10pc for EMA and RBY.
The other multiple Angus bull account was the sale's volume buyer MJ & CH Bleechmore, Boyup Brook, with four bulls costing from $5000 to $7000.
Charolais genetics
The special selection of Charolais genetics saw the pick of the 2023 stud heifer drop sell for $10,000 to the Bauhinia Park Charolais stud, Emerald, Queensland, while the pick of the herd flush was purchased for $7000 by Winchester Charolais, Orange, New South Wales.
Embryo packages containing two A-grade embryos from imported sire HRJ Holy Water 55H and Venturon Naughty But Nice N31 saw one sell for $950 to Black Duck Charolais, Junction View, Queensland and the other to Wakefield Charolais, Wollomombi, NSW, also for $950.
Wakefield stud purchased three of the semen packages at good values.
Also operating online was a Echuca, Victoria, buyer who paid the $210 top price for five doses of HRJ Holy Water 55H, while the Quilty family, Elgin Park Charolais, Elgin, also collected five doses paying $180.
