Mount William Charolais reaches $23,500 top

The stud offered 43 bulls and it was Lot 1 that earned the top-priced price tag straight away, being secured by Bryce Galvin, Talgoona Charolais, Wagga Wagga, NSW, for $23,500.

Mount William Rome was a March 2020-drop bull, sired by Palgrove Moderator, who is in the top 1 per cent of the Charolais breed for eye muscle area.

"It was Lot 1's sire that drew me to him, Moderator is a bull that I really like, and decided to find a son to use in my program at Wagga," Mr Galvin said.

"I originally saw this bull as a four-month-old calf, and really liked him so I have kept an eye on him as he has come through the Mount William program.

"He has always had good muscle pattern, structure and that was rounded out with softness and finishing ability, and that has stayed with him to the two-year-old he is today.

"While his estimated breeding values weren't my focus with him, they are certainly a good factor in this bull, and his raw data stacks up as well."

Lot 3, Mount William Rhode Island, was the second top-priced bull for the sale, purchased by Tom O'Halloran, TPA Pastoral, Meeniyan, through Elders Pakenham, for $22,000.

TPA Pastoral secured three bulls to average $10,333, and seven heifers to a top price of $4000 to average $3607.

"We have purchased from Mount William in the past," Mr O'Halloran said.

"We like the cattle produced by Mount William for their stature, and the style of the bulls put forward this year was a large drawcard for us.

"The listing of females was also an attractive thing to us, it is hard to find females with a registration that are backed by a bit of breeding.

"Lot 3 had a great calving ease figure, but he is a bull that just holds his own with great thickness, and it's what we are chasing for our straight breed herd in Gippsland.

"It is our goal to keep breeding calves that have that higher weight at weaning age, particularly when we're using Pakenham and Koonwarra store sales to sell our calves."

TPA Pastoral also secured this year's donation heifer, Lot 73 - Mount William Repetto, a Mount William Lizzard daughter.

Lot 73 sold for $3750, with all proceeds going to the Willaura Auxiliary of the East Grampian Healthcare Service, a donation much appreciated by its staff.

Mount William stud principal Rob Abbott was blown away by the support received for his program, which also set a new record on-property average for the stud, beating their 2018 sale average by $54.

"The sale was fantastic, it was a terrific way to celebrate 50 years of breeding and to have done so with our new complex was even more special," Mr Abbott said.

"It was immensely relieving that the complex that we have invested a lot of time and energy into worked as well as it did.

"The comfort and the flow of the sale complex worked really well, the cattle were relaxed and comfortable, which was one of our goals.

"We are looking forward to next year's sale already."