Little Meadows Angus tops $15,000 twice

(Under the hammer results)

Buying support from return and new buyers, chasing the new and old bloodlines offered at last week's Little Meadows Angus on-property bull sale at Dardanup helped the stud achieve a perfect clearance and a top price of $15,000 twice.

While the stud achieved a perfect clearance, it wasn't immune to the effects of the significant downturn in the cattle market in the past 12 months and the dry seasonal conditions which resulted in prices being back on the record-breaking values seen in the past couple of years.

The Golding family presented a quality line-up of 73 well-bred and well-grown bulls packed with leading Australian and international genetics and they were supported by a couple of new buyers and a long list of return buyers, who know the benefits of using Little Meadows bulls in their herds.

Right throughout, the 36 registered buyers around the ring - from not only the local South West areas but also from as far east as Esperance and north of Perth - were consistent in their bidding, ensuring that all the bulls found new homes.

The sale was again interfaced on AuctionsPlus, where the catalogue received 1541 views - which helped yield four active bidders that placed 20 online bids across five lots, resulting in four lots selling online to three different buyers to add further competition.

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 statistics calculated, the stud had cleared all 73 bulls offered to 28 different buyers for an average of $6781.

This was back $5422 on last year's record breaking average of $12,203 when the stud offered and sold 74 bulls to 29 different buyers.

Mr Watling said the Golding family presented a good even line-up of bulls from the start to finish.

"The bulls presented very well and were a credit to the Golding's breeding program," Mr Watling said.

"The sale again saw good buying support from the north, across to Esperance in the east and the South West, showing Little Meadows can go anywhere and perform in a range of regions.

"Like other sales this year, buyers were conscious in their bidding due to seasonal and market conditions.

"The good presentation of bulls, however, did allow a good buying opportunity for clients to secure multiple lots at lower prices than previous years and a number of buyers took an opportunity to do this."

With an even line-up of bulls, picking a stand-out wasn't easy.

But, in the end, there were two bulls which stood out just that little bit more in the eyes of the buyers and sold for the sale's $15,000 equal top price.

The first bull in the line-up to hit the $15,000 mark was Little Meadows Titan T37 in lot two, when it was penciled down in the clerking sheets to first-time buyers at the stud Hans and Shelley Marsiske and family, Coolup, who purchased with the assistance of Elders, Bridgetown representative Deane Allen.

The classy 880 kilogram mid-April 2022-drop bull, which was described in the catalogue as a stud sire prospect, is by Texas Quantum Leap Q029 and out of Little Meadows Prue R197, which is a daughter of Little Meadows Pascoe P24.

Along with impressing phenotypically, Titan T37 also has a very good set of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) of +3.0 for calving ease direct, +0.6 for calving ease daughters, -5.8 gestation length (GL), +4.0 birthweight (BWT), +61, +116 and +154 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +136 mature cow weight (MCW), +31 milk, +4.1 scrotal size (SS), -5.2 days to calving (DTC), +85 carcase weight (CWT), +8.2 EMA, -2.3 1 rib fat, -2.8 P8 fat, +0.5 retail beef yield (RBY), +3.7 IMF, +0.54 feed efficiency (NFI-F), +25 docility (DOC), +1.10 claw set, +1.02 foot angle and +0.92 leg angle.

With these figures Titan T37 ranks in the top 1pc of the breed for milk, top 3pc 600-day weight, +4pc 400-day weight and top 5-10pc SS, MCW, CWT as well as top 10-20pc 200-day weight, IMF and leg angle.

It has index values of +$240 for the $A index (top 14pc) and +$422 for $A-L index (top 6pc).

Mr Allen who helped the Marsiske family with its selection, said Titan T37 was a very good all round bull.

"We saw him at the field day before the sale and he was one of our picks and we settled on him today when we saw him again," Mr Allen said.

"He is very well structured and has very good softness to go with a good set of figures.

"He is a real typical Angus bull that demonstrates all the traits of the breed very well.

"He will be used over Hereford-Friesian second calvers with the aim of breeding replacement females."

Along with purchasing Titan T37, the Marsiske family also purchased a second bull - Little Meadows Tosspot T168 - which is by Little Meadows Roman Archer R51, for $6000.

Tosspot T168 also had a balanced set of figures ranking in the top 5pc for RBY, top 6pc for DOC and top 10-20pc for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, MCW, SS, CWT and EMA.

The Marsiske family was at the sale for the first time, looking to buy as it wants to introduce a new bloodline into its Angus sire battery, to breed more replacement females.

This year the Marsiskes are looking to join 180 females that are mainly first-cross females and 75pc of their first-cross females are Angus-Friesians.

The second bull to hit the equal top $15,000 price tag was another Quantum Leap Q209 son - Little Meadows Toreador T163 - in lot 29 when it was knocked down to another first time buyer, the Corker family, AD & RM Corker, Kirup.

The 874kg, late May 2022-drop bull is out of an Alpine High Octane H037 daughter - Little Meadows Merriment Q81.

Like Titan T37, Toreador T163 also has a good set of EBVs to match its physical appearance.

The long, deep, soft bull has EBVs of -2.0 for calving ease direct, +1.6 for calving ease daughters, -4.4 GL, +4.6 BWT, +63, +121 and +163 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +156 MCW, +19 milk, +3.0 SS, -5.0 DTC, +98 CWT, +8.9 EMA, -0.6 1 rib fat, 0.0 fat, +0.7 RBY, +1.9 IMF, +0.37 NFI-F, +28 DOC, +1.08 claw set, +0.96 foot angle and +0.84 leg angle.

With these figures Toreador T163 ranks in the top 2pc for 400 and 600-day weights, MCW and CWT, top 6pc leg angle, top 7pc 200-day weight as well as top 25pc for SS, EMA and DOC.

It has index values of +$230 for the $A index (top 22pc) and +$419 for $A-L index (top 7pc).

Adrian Corker said they picked Toreador T163 as it looked good visually and had the figures they wanted.

"He is a good clean bull with a tremendous topline," Mr Corker said.

"He also has a moderate birthweight, high growth and good carcase figures - along with a good set of indexes.

"He is a good all round bull which will get calves on the ground that will grow out."

The Corkers, specialising in supplying PTIC Angus heifers for the Elders Boyanup Mated Beef Female sale in January, are looking to join 90 heifers for next year's sale.

They will synchronise AI join their heifers to Toreador T163 and then back them up naturally to Toreador T163 as well.

The second top price in the catalogue was $13,500 bid by Allen Bentham, WA Livestock Agency, who was buying for a number of different buyers based at Donnybrook, Coolup, Waroona, Bindoon, Gingin and Geraldton.

At $13,500 Mr Bentham secured Little Meadows Target Man T43 in lot nine.

The deep, thick, 850kg Texas Powershift P632 son ticked all the boxes in terms of its phenotype and figures.

Target Man T43, which is out of a Landfall New Ground N90 daughter, ranks in the top 3pc for 600-day weight, top 4pc leg angle and top 5-10pc for 200 and 400-day weights, MCW and RBY plus top 10-20pc for SS, CWT and EMA.

Target Man T43 was just one of 13 bulls Mr Bentham purchased for his clients at an average of $6192.

Also in Mr Bentham's team at $9000 was Little Meadows Traction T75, which is by New Ground N90 and ranks in the top 2pc for GL, top 4pc rib fat and top 6pc P8 fat.

Mr Bentham said he was chasing sires that had good figures and were well-structured for both heifer and cow joinings.

The next best price was $13,000 and it was achieved twice.

The Shine family, DJ Shine & Co, Roelands, was the first to pay the value when they had the final bid at $13,000 on Little Meadows Tolebuster T33.

The mid-April 2022-drop bull is by Powershift P632 and ranks in the top 4pc for calving ease daughters and top 10-20pc for 200 and 600-day weights, MCW, DTC, CWT and the $A-L index.

Also heading to the Shine's property were a Ellingson Three Rivers 8062 son that is in the top 1pc for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, MCW and CWT at $8500 and a Quantum Leap Q029 son which is in the top 2-5pc for 200, 400 and 600-day weights and MCW at $7500.

The other bull to sell at $13,000 was Little Meadows Time Bomb T151 when it went to the Willarty Angus stud, Pinjarra.

The 842kg Little Meadows Quindanning Q72 son is in the top 3pc for CWT, top 5pc for 600-day weight and top 6pc for NFI-I.

Other buyers to purchase at the top end paying five figures for their selections were return buyer Wes Graham, WJ & FJ Graham, Esperance, who purchased through AuctionsPlus, HG Schlueter & Co, Narrikup, and another Esperance buyer which operated on AuctionsPlus.

Mr Graham went to $10,500 for Little Meadows Tombraider T78, which is by Three Rivers 8062, and then later purchased another bull by the same sire at $9500.

The Schlueters also purchased a Three Rivers 8062 son - Little Meadows Toltec T110 at $10,000 - while the other Esperance buyer which purchased through AuctionsPlus paid $10,000 for a Quindanning Q72 son - Little Meadows Tigersnake T199.

Supporting the catalogue strongly, purchasing five bulls to a top of $8500 and an average of $7400 was the Hough family, 5HP Grazing, Esperance, who have been buying from the stud for more than 10 years.

Peter Hough said he was chasing the new bloodlines in the catalogue to infuse into their herd.

The Hough's top-priced purchase at $8500 was a Powershift P632 son which is in the top 1pc for leg angle and top 3pc for calving ease daughters.

Mr Hough said they have continued to return and buy from the stud over an extended period as they have always had good results from its bulls and because of the longevity of its cattle.

"The bulls breed really nice and productive females which is important to us as we are self-replacing herd," Mr Hough said.

"The Goldings also provide great backup service."

Another return buyer to have a positive impact on the sale was Alcoa Farmlands, Wagerup, which purchased nine sires to a top of $8000 and an average of $6389.

Alcoa Farmlands manager Vaughn Byrd said they were very impressed with this year's Little Meadows sale team.

"The bulls showed good thickness and had good growth and carcase figures," Mr Byrd said.

"We like buying here as there is always a good selection of bulls to choose from and plenty of new genetics hitting the ground to get the benefit from."

In the sale Mr Byrd said they were looking for bulls with good growth and carcase figures and they weren't too concerned about birthweight.

"We were also looking for heifer bulls and we got three of them," he said.

This year the enterprise is looking to join 4000 mainly Angus breeders and, of these, 3500-3500 will go to Angus sires, while the rest will go to Simmental bulls for a calving which starts at the end of April.

The business is just about to start selling its 2023-drop calves, which have all gone through the Elders Feeder Ready Program, with the first line to be offered in the Elders Boyanup store sale on March 13.