Livestock agents are optimistic Victoria’s spring bull sales will be very strong, as those further north have been.
Landmark stud stock manager south east region Ray Attwell said so far the bull sales to the north had been “very, very strong” and he predicted the southern sales would follow this trend with increased clearance rates and prices compared to last year’s results.
He said strong beef prices and people’s keenness to breed their own young stock would drive demand.
This, he said, would be bolstered by a season that is looking likely to be very good.
Mr Attwell said although autumn remained the busiest time of the year for Victorian bull sales, in the past five to six years, more Victorian studs had added a spring sale to their calendar to be able to sell bulls to their clients who join cows in spring as well as for those who join them in autumn.
Elders stud stock representative Jim Bruce, Albury, NSW, has also been watching the more northern bull sales with interest and he is confident the strong trend will continue in Victoria.
He said demand had been strong across the beef breeds and the Victorian and southern NSW studs that were holding sales in spring were preparing very good, exciting offerings.
He said most of the sale offering had handled the wet winter well and it was a good test on the bulls’ structure.
Mr Bruce said vendors had “fit, fertile bulls that are ready to work”.
He said having fit bulls, and enough of them, was particularly important in the area around Albury, as some of the old clovers there could have levels of plant oestrogens that can affect fertility.
“It’s important that cows get in calf in the first or second cycle because the longer into spring they could have more difficulties.”
Fellow Elders representative Ross Milne, southern zone stud stock manager, agreed that they expected good clearance ratges and increased average prices.
He said the Australian beef herd was in a rebuilding phrase and people were conscious of retaining good heifers, especially as the season was shaping up very well.
Mr Milne said people needed to remember that buying a bull was a long-term investment, as it could have an influence on your herd for a very long time.
“It’s important to keep updating your genetics to ensure your genetic gain,” he said.
Michael Glasser, GTSM, agreed the beef industry was enjoying a very good time, and the “nice, general rain” would further boost confidence.
He predicted the southern spring bull sales to be strong. He said while the northern sales had been “exceptionally strong” there weren’t as many large scale farming businesses in the south that tended to buy as many bulls.
As people are tending to rebuild their herds, Mr Glasser expects more producers will have heifers to join and he was pleased that studs had geared up to fulfill this need.
