Competition was strongest for the Limousin bulls at the 37th annual Wodonga Beef Breeds Bull Sale last week.
Nineteen of the 24 Limousin bulls offered sold to the overall sale’s top of $5250 and averaged $3555.
In his sole purchase for the day, Charlie Tumino, Leongatha, bought the top-priced bull, which was a two-year-old commercial bull offered by A&C Iaria, Tawonga South. The Iaria family’s two other bulls also sold to Gippsland orders, for $3250 and $2500 respectively.
Mr Tumino said he picked out the bull for his strong build and good muscle definition. He plans to use the bull over Angus-Friesian cross cows to produce vealers.
Mr Tumino was among the Gippsland contingent of the large buying gallery. Sale organiser John Atkins, Atkins Marketing Livestock, Howlong, NSW, said other buyers came from Goulburn, NSW, Victoria’s Western District and the state’s north-east.
Another highlight in the run of Limousin bulls was the total clearance of four bulls offered by Garren Park Genetics, Culcairn, NSW. Principals Garry and Karen Hedger were pleased with their bulls having sold to $4500, av $4063.
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“Most of our bulls sold to existing clients, including Gippsland vealer producers, who want to come up to this beef breeds sale because it is no fuss and they can see the bulls,” Mr Hedger said.
In the line of Angus cattle offered, 42 of 50 sold to $4750, av $2873.
Willoughby Berkley JG (AI), consigned by K Wharton, Murgheboluc, topped the Angus offering. The Te Mania Berkley son had strong index values of +$126 for Angus Breeding Index, +111 Domestic Index, +$144 Heavy Grain Index and +$116 for Heavy Grass Index.
Mr Atkins said the clearance rate for the Angus bulls was “down on expectations” and that buyers were selective.
“The few agents I talked to after the sale agreed that there have been a lot of Angus on-property sales and maybe there isn’t the demand to keep them performing very strongly, because cow herds have down-sized due to dry conditions and people taking advantage of good cattle prices and sending females to feedlots or to slaughter,” he said.
“Restockers won’t pay the same as lotfeeders for heifers, and I predict in the next few years, females will become very expensive.”
Six of eight Simmentals sold to $3250, av $2542. All of the Simmental bulls that sold were offered by the Chappel family, Zantuck Creek, Milloo, and of them five were purchased by John Terrill, representing his family’s JF&EM Terrill & Son operation, Rutherglen.
Mr Terrill said the five bulls they purchased included the top-priced Simmental bull Zantuck Creek Jason, who was dark-red and polled. He said the av price of $2450 represented “good buying value” and would give the family flexibility in its breeding operation, because two of the bulls would be good to use over heifers.
He Terrill family has been putting Simmental bulls over their about 400 Hereford-cross cows for more than 10 years and Mr Terrill said the Simmentals added a big frame and more meat. He said they sold a draft of 14 month-old steers at 246 cents a kilogram in recent weeks at Wodonga.
In the other breeds, eight of the 13 Charolais sold to $3750 three times and av $3094; two of three Red Angus sold to $2600, av $2550; and one of four Poll Herefords sold to $3750.
“Overall, we were pleased with the sale and the better bred bulls sold quite well.”
