*25 of 31 bulls sold to $6000, av $4000
Cattle producers from as far away as Gelantipy as well as two from Tasmania bought at the 50th Ennerdale Hereford sale.
The offering saw a top price of $6000 for the 31 bulls offered with 25 sold under the hammer and all but three bulls sold by the end of the day.
Taking the prized top lot were regular buyers Rob Lawrence and Georgie Luckock, Banool Pastoral, Cavendish, who backed up from the 2019 sale when they also paid top price.
The lot this year was lot three, Ennerdale Willalooka an Allendale Washington K5 son. The September 2018-drop, homozygous polled bull, had Hereford Group Breedplan figures of +67 kilograms 600-day-weight and +5.2 birth weight.
The same buyers also purchased lot five for $3500. This lot was Ennerdale Aerial by Ennerdale Archer.
The second top of $5500 was achieved for two lots.
The first was lot 13, Ennerdale Global by Allendale Gambler. The bull was an August 2018-drop with an eye muscle area of +5.0. The buyer was Cliffney Park Farms, Ellerslie. The buyer has been purchasing Ennerdale bulls for 58 years.
The same buyer also bought lot 2, Ennerdale Anecdote and lot 23 Ennerdale Advocate, for $3500 each.
The second bull to reach $5500 was lot 30, Ennerdale Fallow, by Cascade Fahey F81. Fallow had figures of +63 600-day weight and +3.6 birth weight. The buyer was Maree West, Penshurst.
Ennerdale stud principal, Kate Luckock, said the final result, selling 28 of 31 bulls finding new homes, was "pleasing".
She said there were a lot of repeat buyers as well as some new clients who bought.
Ms Luckock said repeat buyers included two studs from Tasmania.
She said the bulls were the "genuine article" - nothing hidden.
"You get what you see. This is a commercial operation and the bulls are run that way," she said.
The bulls in this year's catalogue had undergone genomic testing to provide the performance figures.
Ms Luckock said genomic testing was the way of the future and the figures derived from the tests would increase in accuracy as numbers tested increased.
She said the Ennerdale stud would not be introducing any new genetics from herds that were not genomic tested.
Buyers came from as far as Gelantipy, Yanakie and Pyramid Hill as well as a host of local buyers, she said.
Agent in conjunction, Charles Stewart manager Peter McConachy, Colac, said the agency had been involved in the sale for 35 years.
He said the Ennerdale cattle were "very good" and the Luckock family "always stood behind their bulls".
He said Charles Stewart bought 10 bulls for 10 different clients, including a couple of new buyers.
Tasmanian studs paid $5000 for two bulls.
The first was lot 8, Ennerdale Elton, by home-bred bull Ennerdale Alliance. The November 2018-drop bull weighed 754 kilograms and went to Merseybank Herefords, Latrobe.
The other lot to head south was lot 14, Ennerdale Gilgandra, which sold to L & J Fry, Jamena Herefords, South Forest, Tasmania.
Gelantipy cattle breeder, Nigel Hodge, traveled to Dundonnell in search of one bull, and that's what he got.
Mr Hodge, whose best two bulls were Ennerdale bulls, paid $4500 for lot 18, Ennerdale Ambassador.
Mr Hodge said the bull would go to the herd at his Gelantipy property.
He said the property had been 90 per cent burnt out in the recent fires with just the house and sheds saved.
