A BULL fittingly named Invincible set the pace for last week’s Lawsons Angus mega production sale at Yea.
Less than seven weeks after saving the bulls from the threat of fires that ripped through the Yarra Valley, the stud defied the odds of the season to produce a million dollar sale.
Invincible – the stud’s number one draft from the 700 bulls it selected from this year – drove bidding to a sale top of $18,000 and gave it the momentum to power through to a final gross of $1,196,250.
Auctioneers Brian Leslie, Adam Mountjoy and Garry Greer put up 197 bulls in just under three hours, averaging just 52 seconds per lot and an impressive $4065 on the 190 lots sold.
In the breakdown, 178 18 month-old bulls sold to $18,000 to average $4101 and 12 yearling bulls sold to $6500 to average $3791.
Another 199 female lots, all PTIC, sold to $12,000 to average $2089.
For the Lawsons, the $18,000 top dollar bull has been an attention grabber since he was a calf.
The August 2007-drop bull is by US sire GAR Solution – ranked in the top one per cent of the breed in his home country for calving ease and intra-muscular fat (IMF) – and a GAR Predestined daughter’s first calf.
He rates in the top 1pc with figures for Long Fed/CAAB $Index at +137, eye muscle area (EMA) of +6.8 and IMF of +3.
Invincible C402 sold to Chiltern Park Partnership, Macarthur and Agrigene to be included in the Agrigene progeny test program and to be used widely in Chiltern Park’s commercial herd.
Chiltern Park also secured a Lawsons Romeo son out of a Direction X3 cow for $12,000 with figures in the top 1pc for Long Fed and IMF and top 5pc for 600-day, scrotal size and EMA.
Second top of $13,000 was set by the stud’s highest Indexing GAR Right Direction son out of a New Design 1407 female. He was picked up by Carol Durkin, Jannali, NSW, who also secured his dam (in calf to top US $Beef Value bull B/R Ambush 28) for $5250. She purchased two other females for $3750.
In the volume stakes, Alan Peggs Rural led the way, buying 19 bulls at auction for an average of $3842 and paying to $6000 twice on account of a major WA operation targeting the long-fed market in Japan and maintaining ownership all the way to the Japanese market.
It follows 10 bulls purchased privately for use over the operation’s heifers earlier this year.
Alan Peggs said the focus of the operation – about half Lawson blood - meant they principally looked at IMF and 200 day weight. Their purchases averaged about +43 for 200 day weight (top 15pc of breed) and about +2.4 (top 5pc) for IMF.
Other WA buyers included Quintara Farms, Esperance, which bought six bulls for a $3166 average.
Strong buying interest again came from Tasmania and the Bass Strait.
King Island breeder Robbie Payne, Wongaru, who runs 1200 commercial Angus breeders, was the losing bidder on the sale’s two highest bulls but still secured two bulls at $5000 – both sons of GAR Solution which will bring in a new line of genetics for his operation.
Other Tasmanian buyers included Van Diemens Land Company, Smithton, which bought 13 bulls for an average of $3076 and Panshanger Estate, Longford, with nine bulls secured for a $3222 average.
Robert and Leanne Moore, Grassmere, Bollan, Queensland, who have previously bought at the stud’s Queensland sale (to be held at Blackall on April 3), selected eight high growth bulls, paying to $4500 and an average of $2938, with average EBVs for 600-day weight or more than +100 (top 5pc).
Toronga Livestock, Hay, NSW, also bought up big, paying to $6500 and an average of $3772 for 11 bulls.
Victorian buyers included Linton Park, Linton, with six bulls for an average of $3583; Toowong Hill, Corryong, five bulls at $3000 and Werribee Agriculture, Werribee, five bulls for an average of $3600.
Females:
Top price in the females of $12,000 was paid for an August 2005-drop GAR Predestined daughter sold to Bryan and Lucinda Corrigan, Rennylea Angus, Bowna, NSW.
Others buying at the top end included Phillip Reardon, Graman, NSW, who paid $7000 for a Bon View New Design 1407 daughter with the highest Long Fed $Index of any female ever bred by the stud at +137 and ranked in the top 1pc for Long Fed, IMF and 600 day.
In the breakdown 109 Z spring joined cows averaged $1863; 10 A autumn donor cows with calves at foot averaged $3675; 12 A spring-joined donor cows averaged $3166 and 68 A spring-joined Gardiner Angus Ranch (GAR) cows averaged $2029.
Volume buyers in the females included Karu Pty Ltd, Beaudesert, Qld, which paid to $6500 for 12 females; Gemlake Pty Ltd which paid to $3000 for 21 females and Bristen Pty Ltd, Yea, which paid to $1750 for 20 females.
The sale was self-managed by Lawsons and streamed live on the web with the selling handled by Brian Leslie, Dairy Livestock Services (DLS), Adam Mountjoy, Rodwells and Gary Greer of Grant Daniel Long in Queensland.
