TE Mania Angus director Tom Gubbins regarded today’s annual bull sale as a “passing of the pain” from clients impacted by drought and lulled beef prices - after selling 99 of 135 bulls offered to $13,000.
The Gubbins and McFarlane families received a sale average of $4636 which was a firm drop on last year’s record breaking $8663 average.
“Today was a passing of the pain from our clients to us,” Mr Gubbins said.
“Everyone is feeling the season is difficult, everyone knows there has been drought and perhaps it has been difficult to sell weaners this year – (it) reflects that people are short of money.”
The North’s drought struggles impacted the sale with some regular New South Wales buyers absent from the audience.
However, a notable northern supporter were the Coulton family from Morella Agriculture, Goondiwindi, NSW who enthusiastically chased several of Tuwharetoa Regent’s progeny including the sale peak of $13,000 for Te Mania Harwood H365.
Out of Te Mania Barunah, 19 month-old Harwood was chosen for his evenness, excellent phenotype and outstanding figures that recorded Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) eye muscle area of +7sq cm, 600 day weight +106kg, long-fed $Index $154 and intramuscular fat +3.8per cent.
Morella Ag were major players in the sale, buying 12 bulls that av $6875, despite being heavily impacted by the northern drought and having to feed the Goondiwindi-based stock for the past seven months.
Last year, the family purchased six of Regent’s progeny that were performing well, which Sam Coulton said supported Morella’s bloodline dictated natural-mated breeding program.
“His progeny this year have performed quiet well so we wanted to take it a bit further this year and get more of (Regent’s) sons,” he said.
“We are just lucky we have a geographical spread of properties, with another three in New England that run our younger stock.
“The acquisition of another New England property meant we have a further 700 heifers to join so we thought we better buy (today), because we only naturally mate the heifers.”
Mr Gubbins said the value-buying opportunity gave new interest a chance to buy Te Mania genetics, who on previous years could not afford to.
"... then they will realise what they have missed out on and they get a taste for hopefully what we can offer," he said.
- Full story in the Stock & Land March 13 edition
Annabelle Beale
National Sheep & Wool Writer for Fairfax Agricultural Media
National Sheep & Wool Writer for Fairfax Agricultural Media
