*8 of 17 bulls sold to $11,000, av $5938
A DUNROBIN beef producer has returned to Wilkah Herefords, Vasey, to again pay top price for one of the stud's sale bulls.
Jason Koch paid $11,000 for Wilkah Ned, an April 2017-drop bull.
Mr Koch, Rosebank Pastoral, also spent $9500 in 2016, at the stud’s inaugural on-property sale.
“I liked the structure and depth of the bull, and the colour and carcase that’s there,” Mr Koch said.
The 890-kilogram bull would be used to produce animals for the annual Casterton weaner sales.
Mr Koch said the property was using Wilkah, Injemira and Glenellerslie bulls.
“We like the horned bulls, rather than the polled ones,” he said.
“You get a better bone structure with the horned bulls.
"You have to have the mixture, of course, to get the growth, but the horned bulls have a better body.”
Mr Koch was back at Wilkah this year, paying the top price for Wilkah Ned N003 (H), by Glenellerslie Manly (H), and out of Wilkah Marinda K044 (AI) (H).
The April 2017 drop bull had December figures of a 2.9-square centimetre eye muscle area, rib measurement of -1.2 millimetres, and intramuscular fat of 0.2 per cent.
Ned had a birth weight of 5.6 kilograms, a 200-day weight of 32kg, 400-day weight of 52kg and 600-day weight of 79kg.
Wilkah stud principal Andrew Lyons said he was pleased with the top price.
“It’s the best top price we’ve ever had, the sale went very well, due to the seasonal conditions and the market for Herefords,” Mr Lyons said.
“Most of them were return buyers, but I see we picked up two new ones, as well."
Most buyers came from the local area.
“We are trying to breed an animal for their conditions, an animal with easy doing ability and trying to put length and depth of body through them," he said.
“They have taken less feed to get up this year, because of the type of animal we are breeding.”
Landmark and Elders conducted the sale.
