Cattle studs across Tasmania are busy preparing for this year’s series of autumn bull sales which kick off in a few days.
Although some breeders have already held successful on-property auctions, the main round of sales will start with an open day on this Sunday, March 24, showcasing the stud bulls on offer as part of Tasmanian Angus Week.
Roberts Ltd stud stock manager Jock Gibson said grouping most of the Angus stud sales together in one week provided potential mainland and local buyers with an excellent opportunity to source a quality selection of bulls during a short period.
“Most parts of Tasmania have had a pretty good season and I think the line up of bulls is one of our best ever,” he said.
“Early sales in the bull selling season have given us confidence that the job will be fairly strong.”
Most parts of Tasmania have had a pretty good season and I think the line up of bulls is one of our best ever.
- Jock Gibson, Roberts Ltd
The participating studs are all within about an half-hour drive from Launceston in northern Tasmania.
Strong buyer interest is expected to come from local areas and King Island and Flinders Island producers as well as representation from the mainland.
‘We are hoping to get the usual amount of support from the mainland, but expect it may not be as strong due to the tough seasonal conditions being experienced in many areas of Vic and NSW.”
Mr Gibson said each stud has different freight arrangements but most subsidise the trip to Melbourne and the Bass Strait Islands to assist buyers.
The Stewart family from Dunlop Park Angus stud have chosen to host their bull sale a little earlier, offering 12 bulls using the helmsman system on Tuesday, March 19, at 11.30am.
The Archer family’s Landfall Angus stud, Launceston, will start the sale series on Sunday, March 24, at 4pm, with an offering of 50 specially selected pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) females.
Landfall Angus co-principal Frank Archer said the female sale was aimed at people looking for foundation females to start a registered breeding herd or alternatively to add quality and numbers to existing seedstock operations.
The selected cows and heifers are in calf to industry-leading artificial insemination (AI) sires from both Australia and the United States, including Landfall Keystone and VAR Discovery.
“Several of the heifers are also sired by Landfall Keystone and VAR Discovery, and we have daughters of Aryvale Bartel E7 and EF Complement in the sale."
On Monday, March 26, at 2pm, Landfall will also offer its catalogue of 180 bulls, which are all 18 months of age.
“Although our breeding program is primarily aimed at producing bulls for the commercial beef sector, we feel there are some bulls in this sale which would suit seedstock operators,” he said.
“We’re looking to produce a genetic package which is easy calving with above average growth and a moderate maturity pattern, without compromising the importance of carcase performance.
“Temperament is also important and in my opinion this would be the most docile offering of sale bulls that we’ve put together.”
Cluden Newry will also offer 64 Angus bulls on Monday March 25, at 11am and stud principal Jock Hughes is pleased with the even line up of bulls, which range from 18 months to 20 months of age.
“We’ve had a very good season here and the bulls are in good condition, displaying plenty of muscle,” he said.
After a successful introduction last year, Mr Hughes will again use video technology to sell the bulls. The sale will also be interfaced with AuctionsPlus.
On Tuesday, March 26, buyers have four sales to choose from including Chale/Enfield Angus and Red Angus at 11am while Richmond Hill will offer 12 Angus bulls and 10 Angus females at 1pm.
Also on Tuesday, Tamaroo and Mont-Bello will have a joint sale at 3pm at the Powranna Selling Complex. Tamaroo will catalogue 18 Angus bulls for sale while Mont-Bello will offer three Angus bulls and two heifers PTIC.
The offering of Poll Hereford bulls in April starts with the Nova stud, owned by Cam Clements, who will host his second on-property sale this year, on Friday, April 19.
The Archer family’s long-running Quamby Plains Poll Hereford stud, Hagley, will catalogue 50 bulls on Monday, April 29, at 1.30pm, while the Davie family’s Guilford Poll Hereford stud will hold its 45th annual bull sale on Tuesday, April 30, at 1.30pm on-property at Ouse.
Other breeds on offer in the upcoming round of Tasmanian bull sales include the Wallace family’s Woodbourn Murray Grey stud, which this year celebrates 50 years of breeding.
Charles Wallace started breeding Murray Grey cattle as a teenager and has maintained a passion for the breed ever since. He is a long-serving board member of the Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society, and has been involved in the promotion of the breed in Australia for many years.
Woodbourn will offer 35 Murray Grey bulls and 35 specially selected PTIC females, many with calves at foot, at their on-property sale on May 6 at Cressy.
Stud co-principal Janet Wallace said the females on offer include high quality cows and heifers from their own “keeper herd.”