*Total clearance of 57 bulls sold to $18,000, av $10,649
A GOOD crowd attended Barwidgee stud's autumn bull sale last week, which saw a total clearance rate and strong average price.
The stud offered 57 bulls for sale.
The top-priced bull was Lot 47, bought by Wongton, Penola, SA, for $18,000.
Three other bulls equalled the second top price of $17,000.
Volume buyer Scott Barrow, Beveridge, took home six bulls.
Mr Barrow said he was in the process of expanding his commercial herd and wanted bulls that would do well off grass.
"I wanted stock that do well in the paddock without being dressed up," he said.
"I've got a lot of heifers to serve so Barwidgee was the place to come.
"I've never bought here before, I always wanted to, always followed them."
He said Lot 24, which he bought for $11,000, was a standout, with +10.7 eye muscle area and good temperament.
Barwidgee stud principal Wendy Kelly said she was extremely happy with the sale.
"Our average was up and total clearance, so we're very pleased," she said.
"We had quite a few in that $17,000 to $18,000 [range], it was very exciting."
She said this year's line up of bulls had presented very well, with bulls by Beast More and Power Tool, as well as by Barwidgee sires.
"I thought one of the ones earlier would have been the top-priced bull, but I think the Beast Modes were fairly sought after so it was just dependent on what people were particularly looking for," she said.
"We do really focus on having easy care animals, a lot of them are very positive for fat.
"These bulls have never been fed anything other than a tiny bit of silage in their life, they do this off grass."
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Ms Kelly said buyers were both new and return customers who had been coming over the past 20 years.
She said the stud had recorded a fantastic season that could not have panned out better.
"We had a mild winter, rain in spring, rain in summer," she said.
"All the stars have aligned."
Elders stud stock manager Ross Milne said it was a great sale with a record average.
"It's probably as good a top price as we've had here at Barwidgee," he said.
"A good crowd of buyers with some new faces too, which is fantastic.
"It certainly just shows where the beef industry is at at the moment."
Mr Milne said it was a good line up of bulls.
"There were a lot of bulls weighing in over 700 kilograms off grass," he said.