Kuss family celebrates Allegria Park stud record

The stud, which is now run by Andrew and Fiona Kuss, was founded in 1974 by Fiona's parents Gino and Eileen Altieri before the Kusses took it over in 1974.

So to walk away from this year's sale with some positive outcomes in the stud's 50th year on the back of a tough period in the cattle industry was particularly pleasing for all involved.

In the sale, prices not only hit a stud record high of $18,500 - another four bulls sold for more than $10,000, while the sale average of more than $7500, despite being back on last year, was still the third best recorded by the stud since it started offering bulls at auction.

SALE SUMMARY

The sale, which was the second leg of the Esperance Angus bull sales conducted by Nutrien Livestock and the Chatley Livestock team on the day, attracted a good crowd of loyal, local buyers.

When the sale started the buyers showed they weren't just there to look.

With solid bidding right through the catalogue from buyers who know what the bulls can do, there were plenty of bids directed at the selling team led by auctioneer Neil Brindley, who had earlier told them in his opening address the outlook of the beef industry looked positive.

This positive buying support, despite challenging seasonal and market conditions, ensured 26 of the 31 bulls offered by the Kuss family found new homes when they sold to nine different buyers at an average of $7538, which was back $3499.

In comparison, last year the stud offered and sold 27 bulls to a top of $16,500 and average of $11,037, which is the best recorded by the stud.

Chatley Livestock, Nutrien Livestock, Esperance agent Darren Chatley said the final sale result was on par with presale expectations and everyone was happy with the result given market and seasonal conditions.

"The bulls presented very well yet again and they were sought after by local return buyers who know what the bulls can breed," Mr Chatley said.

"The Kuss family has invested and continue to invest in new genetics to move their herd forward and you can see that in the bulls they put forward each year.

"It was a good sale especially with the stud celebrating its 50th year this year."

With a very even line-up of 18-21-month-old bulls, picking a standout was not necessarily an easy task for the buyers and it might have been why there were five bulls to sell for five figures including the day's top price bull at $18,500.

In the end it was Allegria Park L519 T10 in lot five which stood out slightly more from the rest in the eyes of the buyers, when it was knocked down at the $18,500 top price.

Mr Brindley took an opening bid of $6000 on the long, deep bull and from there a number of buyers fought it out to take home the bull.

Eventually it was return buyer, the Whiting family, Shepwok Angus, Esperance, which had the final bid at $18,500 and was written in the clerking sheets as the buyer.

Shepwok Angus cattle manager Nigel Bingham said the operation was very keen to support the local Esperance studs this year when looking for sires to use in their Angus herd.

"T10 is a solid young sire with lots of potential and we are looking forward to seeing what he grows into as he still has a lot of growing to do," Mr Bingham said.

"In addition to being very good phenotypically, his Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) were solid right the profile.

"He is strong for calving ease and has rapid growth which is important to us.

"Our intention is to join him to 20 heifers in our nucleus breeding herd, where we run 97 breeders to breed bulls for our own use."

T10 is by Rennylea L519 and out of Allegria Park Champagne N3, which is a daughter of EF Complement 8088.

The upstanding young, July 2022-drop sire not only impressed in the flesh it also had the numbers to match.

It has EBVs of +6.6 for calving ease direct, +7.1 for calving ease daughters, -9.0 gestation length (GL), +1.6 birthweight (BWT), +57, +103 and +139 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights, +115 mature cow weight (MCW), +23 milk, +3.4 scrotal size (SS), -6.3 days to calving (DTC), +83 carcase weight (CWT), +3.5 EMA, +0.9 rib fat, +1.0 rump fat, -0.7 retail beef yield (RBY), +5.2 IMF, +0.93 feed efficiency (NFI-F), +29 docility (DOC), +0.62 claw set, +1.0 foot angle and +1.04 leg angle.

With these figures T10 ranks in the top four per cent of the breed for GL and IMF, top 9pc for BWT, top 10-15pc for calving ease direct, calving ease daughters, 600-day weight, milk, SS, DC, CWT, DOC and claw set, as well as top 20-25pc for 200 and 400-day weight, while it is in the top 3pc for the $A-L index at +$438 and top 7pc for the $A index at +$254.

Also headed to the Shepwok Angus sire battery which is joined to 850 Angus breeders for a late February/March calving was another Rennylea L519 son, Allegria Park L519 T27, at $6500.

T27 ranks in the top 3pc for rib fat and IMF, top 4pc for leg angle and top 5-10pc for rump fat and DOC plus top 10-20pc for calving ease daughters, foot angle and the $A-L index.

The enterprise sells its weaners at 330 to 360 kilograms liveweight to grass fatteners in Esperance before they go onto a feedlot.

Two mid-August 2022-drop bulls, by homebred sire Allegria Park Discovery N27 (sired by V A R Discovery 2240), claimed the sale's $13,500 second top price when they sold in consecutive lots late in the catalogue to return buyer Morundah Pty Ltd, Condingup.

The first bull knocked down to Morundah Pty Ltd at $13,500 was Allegria Park Breakthrough T73 in lot 26.

The well-balanced bull, which is out of a Baldridge Beast Mode B074 daughter, ranks in the top 5-10pc for 200 and 400-day weights, CWT and NFI-I while it is in the top 10-20pc for 600-day weight and foot angle.

Allegria Park Breakthrough T74 in lot 27 matched its brother's price when it was also knocked down at $13,500 to Morundah Pty Ltd.

T74 is out of a Sitz Upward 307R daughter and ranks in the top 7pc for CWT and top 10-20pc for 200 and 400-day weights, EMA, rib fat and NFI-I.

Morundah Pty Ltd manager Graham Maitland said both T74 and T73 were well-balanced sires with good length and depth.

"They also had suitable figures for our operation," Mr Maitland said.

"We will use them both over mature cows."

Along with purchasing T73 and T74, the Condingup-based business purchased another seven sires from the offering, for a team of nine at an average of $8444, to be the sale's volume buyer.

Also in its team at $12,000 was a Millah Murrah Paratrooper P15 son, Allegria Park Trooper T32, that ranks in the top 3pc for SS and top 15-20pc for 400-day weight, DC and RBY, while it paid $9500 for Allegria Park Orgin T57, which is by Allegria Park Geneis N46 and ranks in the top 2pc for GL and top 5-10pc for calving ease daughters, 400-day weight, RBY and leg angle.

Mr Maitland said he was looking for bulls with strong growth to use as a terminal cross and also bulls to breed replacement females.

"We like buying from Allegria Park as it always offers a good even line of sires which suit our requirements," he said.

This year the enterprise is looking to join 1300 Shorthorn and Angus-Shorthorn heifers all to Angus bulls for a March calving.

Also buying a bull at more than $10,000 was GBT Spencer, Esperance, when it secured Allegria Park Trooper T18 at $11,000.

The Paratrooper P15 son, which is out of a Deer Valley All In daughter, ranks in the top 4pc for GL, top 7pc for 200-day weight and top 10-20pc for calving ease daughters, 400-day weight, and NFI-I.

Other buyers to have an impact on the sale result buying numbers were return buyers the Fowler family, Chilwell, Condingup and Neil Wandel, Willawayup Farms, Esperance.

The Fowlers left their bidding to Mr Chatley and he purchased five bulls for them to a top of $8000 and an average of $6600.

Mr Chatley said when selecting bulls for the Fowlers, which run close to 2500 Angus breeders and grow their calves out to yearlings, he was looking for sires that were easy doing with a moderate birthweight and good growth.

"We don't look for any extreme figures but a balance set," Mr Chatley said.

"Also as they sell all their calves to Woolworths as yearlings off grass, we also need good finishing ability."

Mr Wandel, who has been buying from the stud for more than five years and will join 600 Angus breeders this year, finished the day with four bulls at an average of $5500 and to a top of $6500.

He said was looking for bulls that display good width and had good toplines.

"They also had to be in the top 20pc for growth as we aim to turnoff our calves at 370-410kg at 11-12 months old," Mr Wandel said.