THE buyer of the top-priced bull at Mawarra Hereford stud's annual bull sale on Monday followed up his purchase by snapping up the last bull offered as well.
Arthur Trethowan, Woomergama (near Albury), NSW, a long-term customer of the Sykes family, bought lot 6, Mawarra Chicago, paying $18,000.
Chicago, born on March 28 2013, weighed 1064 kilograms, with pigmentation of 100/100 and a scrotal circumference of 39.5 centimetres.
Chicago is out of a Mawarra cow and by a Mawarra sire.
Mr Trethowan also bought lot 93, Coopers Town, paying $12,000 for this younger bull, born on October 4 of the same year, still with an impressive weight of 802kg, pigmentation of 100/100 and a scrotum of 39.5cm.
Mr Trethowan regularly tops the market at Wodonga with his heifers, all with Mawarra blood.
His purchase of lot 6 just pipped Leongatha's WB&ML Armstrong, who had to settle for the honour of paying the second-top price, purchasing lot 25, Challenger, for $17,000.
Challenger, born on July 14 2013, with pigmentation of 95/100 and a scrotum of 41.5cm and weighing 900kg, is from a Mawarra cow and by a Big-Gully sire.
The buyer of the top-priced poll Hereford bull was just as happy with his purchase.
Peter Adams, Staghorn Flat (near Wodonga), paid $12,000 for lot 46, the two-year-old Media Baron, with Merawah and Mawarra bloodlines, weighing 920kg and with a scrotal size of 41cm and 100/100 pigmentation.
"I like the growth in their cattle and their do-ability," Mr Adams said of Mawarra.
"They produce true Hereford cattle."
Mr Adams was a traditional Hereford breeder until in recent years, when he switched to polled cattle.
He breeds Herefords for the two-year-old fat steer market and keeps his heifers in the herd.
Peter Sykes said he was pleased with the results of Monday's sale.
"There were a lot of repeat buyers today and a lot of new customers," Mr Sykes said.
"A lot of these fellas have been getting good results in the recent mountain calf sales with their breeding and those are good results for us as well.
"We're trying to breed what our customers want, with the traditional attributes of the Hereford breed but with better carcase attributes.
"We've also been breeding Poll Herefords and we had a few available today which did well."
Eddie, Gail and Lucy Sellers, Bendoc Park Poll Hereford stud, Delegate, added to their own stud cattle at Mawarra's sale, buying three heifers and a stud cow with a bull calf at foot.
The Sellers family, including another daughter, Emma, are building their stud herd and host their bull sale in May.
"We are looking to build up our breeding, mostly buying Mawarra heifers at the moment," Mr Sellers said.