THE GUBBINS family of Coolana Angus decided to disperse their seedstock breeding enterprise 12 months ago, when they staged the biggest ever dispersal in the Australian Angus breed’s history.
Their combined autumn bull sale preceded that dispersal last year, producing a Coolana record result.
Still to go were their two scheduled bull sales for 2018, to offer 2016-drop bulls, the first of which was held last Thursday.
There were 131 autumn and spring 2016-drop bulls offered to a large crowd of over 130 people, including 55 registered bidders.
Stud principal Mark Gubbins said in his pre-sale welcome that the family was proud to present what they believed was their best ever offering.
The quality was well appreciated by the bidders, producing an excellent 96 per cent clearance of 126 bulls, selling to a top of $15,500 and average of $7369.
The top was just $1500 less than last year’s record top of $17,000, and the average just $219 down.
“We are ecstatic and to be honest a little blown away with such an exceptional result in the circumstances of leaving the stud industry,” Mr Gubbins said after the sale.
“We were certainly very pleased with the quality we were able to put up, but the loyalty and strength of bidding from our clients was something special.”
Of the registered bidders, 35 were successful in purchasing bulls.
Two South Australian buyers and long-term Coolana clients, Princess Royal Station, Burra, and Benara Props, Mt Gambier, dominated the volume buying, collectively purchasing 47 bulls, or 37 per cent of those sold.
The strong competition saw 27 bulls sell for $10,000 or better, with 14 of these included in the tally for these two buyers.
Legh and Scott Winser, Benara Props, Mt Gambier, SA, opened their buying account at $7000 on the first bull offered, and paid for the sale’s third-top of $13,5000, av $7923.
Their top purchase was for the 708-kilogram, 19 month-old Coolana Franklin M105, sired by Wattletop Franklin G188, who had BreedPlan figures including +130kg for 600-day weight, +76kg for carcase weight, +2.0 for IMF%, and -5.3 for gestation length.
Princess Royal’s Jack Rowe and livestock manager Luke Bavistock bought the top-priced $15,500 bull.
The bull was the first of the spring 2016-drops, Coolana Revenue M176, and was sired by Connealy Revenue 7392.
A bull with huge volume and growth (826kg at 18.5 months), its figures included +107kg for 600-day weight, +4.2 for EMA, +2.2 for IMF%, and -6 for gestation length.
Like many areas in northern South Australia, conditions on their northern holdings are in the ‘drought’ category, but are passable at the Burra based Princess Royal Station where these bulls will go.
The second top price of $14,000 was bid by new client Murray Howard, trading as ‘MA&AL Howard’, Beeac, buying through HF Richardson, Geelong.
Mr Howard purchased two bulls at a $12,500 average, with his top lot being the second bull offered.
Leading the way in volume buying from Victorian based accounts were two with seven bulls each.
Anthony Baillieu and Jeremy Upton, Yarram Park, Willaura, paid to $6500, av $5214, with these bulls to go to their black program on Broadlands, their Lucindale property in South Australia.
The other was the Reardon family, ‘Romahon Pty Ltd’, Colac, who operated in the high value area, paying to $6000, av $4500.
The Allen family, ‘Denholm Green Pastoral Co’, Hexham, paid to $12,000 twice in picking up three top bulls, $10,333.
The Manifold family, ‘Boortkoi Pastoral Co’, Mortlake, snapped up three top bulls at value early, but were pushed to $11,000 for their top purchase, av $6375.
Also purchasing four top bulls, paying to $11,000, av $8250, were Murray and Andrew Stoney, ‘Ellingerrin Pastoral Co’, Inverleigh.
Colin and Maree Linke, ‘Abbey Hills Partnership’, Hawkesdale, have been very long-term Coolana supporters, and bought to $10,000, av $6400, for five top bulls.
Also purchasing five bulls, to a top of $7500, av $6200, were ‘CP & LM Iredell’, Pigeon Ponds.
‘BF & CS Evans’, Tatong, paid to $10,000 for two bulls, av $7750, while ‘Jullundur Farms’, Wombalano, paid $10,500 for their only purchase of a Wattletop Franklin son.
The final sale left on the Coolana calendar is their spring bull sale, to be held on 6 September, which will see up to 100 Angus bulls on offer.