*Total clearance of 169 bulls
*97 two-year-old bulls sold to $25,000, av $14,300
*72 yearling bulls sold to $26,000, av $12,528
TASMANIAN stud Landfall Angus had a perfect result at its 18th spring bull sale last week with a total clearance of its draft of 169 bulls to a top price of $26,000.
The sale topper will remain in Tasmania despite keen interest from interstate buyers.
The sale also attracted buyers from Victoria, SA, NSW and King and Flinders islands.
Landfall Angus stud co-principal Ed Archer said he was thrilled with the result.
"The stud is in its 74th year and we really focus on having good relationships with our customers because we always operate under the proviso that we want to add value to our clients' businesses," he said.
"It's our highest average to date for any sale and I think it was a very solid result because the top price wasn't quite double the average so that shows there were no big prices that inflated the average."
The top-priced bull, Lot 114 Landfall New Ground R1294, was bought by Denis Bassett, Bacala Angus stud, from Tunnel, Tas.
The bull was sired by Landfall New Ground N90 which went under the hammer in 2019 at the stud's autumn sale for a whopping Tasmanian record of $75,000.
That particular bull was bought by Victorian stud Absolute Angus and ABS Australia.
"Those sons of New Ground N90 are really sought after at the moment because their EBVs are really balanced, they're structurally correct and they have very good eye appeal," Mr Archer said.
"We have had a fantastic season for a couple of years now - we've had fairly good autumn breaks and fairly easy winters - and to add to that positivity, like the rest of the country, we are enjoying great market conditions."
Landfall Angus said the sale topper, R1294, displayed a good balance of eye appeal and performance data with many estimated breeding values in the top 10 per cent of the breed.
Mr Bassett, a return buyer, said he liked the bull for a number of reasons, and might not have bought it had it not been for the border lockdowns.
"I've had five bulls from Landfall over the last 20 years and this bull was probably the best of the yearling bulls in the draft at the sale, he has a very good shape," he said.
"I would like to have gone to New South Wales to inspect some of the bulls up there but COVID put a stop to that but I'm very pleased with this purchase."
Mr Bassett said he liked the docility, growth rates, IMF and EMA of the bull which would be joined to his stud cows.
"It's very hard to find a bull with good EMA and IMF because if you follow the data, often you will find one has good figures in one department and not so good in the other so we thought he was outstanding," he said.