*14 of 25 bulls sold to $7000, av $4500
A bigger spread of buyers was a positive, in what was otherwise a quiet sale for Violet Hills Charolais stud, Rydal, NSW, held at Yea.
Rodwells Yea’s Adam Mountjoy said while there was limited demand, the sale attracted four new buyers.
“The positive part of it was the spread of buyers and where the bulls ended up,” Mr Mountjoy said.
Bulls went to Hamilton, Dederang, to local and Gippsland buyers
“Repeat buyers bought two bulls each, which was pleasing,” Mr Mountjoy said.
Lawsons, Yea, paid top price for Violet Hills McKinley (P), the first bull offered from the stud’s Violet Hills Jolly Joker (P).
Lawson’s Tom Lawson said he had purchased McKinley as a stud bull.
“He’s in the top five per cent on the breeding indexes, he is very high on maternal calving ease and is strong across the board,” Mr Lawson said.
Lawons had bought Violet Hills bulls before.
“He will compliment our bloodlines well,” Mr Lawson said.
“Violet Hills run one of the best performance Charolais programs in Australia.
“Their cattle suit our markets.”
McKinlay, out of Violet Hills Dorothy, was described as a low birth weight bull, with excellent calving ease figures.
The bull put on more than 2.5kilograms a day, during his preparation for the sale.
McKinlay, born on September 1, 2016, had selection index values of +$52 ($Domestic), $74 ($Export) and $27 ($N.Term).
His domestic index put him in the two five per cent of the breed.
He recorded estimated breeding values (EBV’s) of a gestational length (GL) of -3.6, a birthweight of -2.9 and a MCW of +7.
McKinley also had BREEDPLAN EBV’s of a Calving Ease Direct (CE Dir) of +15.7 and a Calving Ease Daughters (CE Dtrs) of +9.7.
Violet Hills stud principal Daryl Jenkins said while it was good to see new, and repeat buyers, it was “a rather poor sale, for one of the best line ups we have ever had.”
He said he couldn’t explain why the bulls didn’t sell.
“If I knew, I could correct it, but I don’t know,” Mr Jenkins said.
“It is quite an expense and effort (to bring cattle from NSW to Yea) and you wonder if it’s worthwhile, because we have our own on-property sale.
‘We really had this sale to service our clients down here.
“But a lot of them didn’t want a bull, this year.”
“That’s always going to happen. We certainly have had some very good feedback about our bulls but we need to expand our clientele.
“Maybe people are not quite sure where the market is going to go but it’s still quite good, really.
“The weaner market is probably double where it was a few years ago, so that’s not really an excuse.”
Mr Jenkins said Violet Hills was breeding very early maturing, easy doing, easy care Charolais, to serve the grass fed and feeder markets.
It was the fourth year, he had brought cattle to Yea, but Mr Jenkins said he was now questioning whether it was worth it.
“I will go home and have a think about it.
“We have had a number of people ring up and say ‘I don’t want a bull this year’, but I’ll be there next year.
“Maybe we won’t be here, next year, I’m not sure.”