Leawood Angus sells top-priced bulls to breeders at Hedley, Mardan

The Flynn stud sold 41 of 46 Angus bulls to a top price of $16,000 twice to average $9622 on Tuesday.

The stud also sold three lots of unjoined heifers to $2700 and $2600 (twice) as well as 10 lots of heifers and cows with mixed-sex calves at foot to a top price of $4800 a unit (twice).

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Leawood Angus stud principal Liam Stuckey, whose grandfather started the stud in 1946, said the overall average was lower compared to recent sales, but noted return buyers put a floor in the September sale.

"It was lower than what it was last year but everyone got a good-value bull," he said.

"It has been a tough winter, but the recent sunshine over the last few weeks has done wonders for the bulls since spring has arrived.

"Our average was probably down $4000 and we're not sure why that is because the bulls are very similar and almost the same line up of bulls we've sold in previous years."

Mr Stuckey said 60 per cent of buyers were return clients, while the stud also received several first-time buyers at the on-property auction.

"Our emphasis is based around easy calving and bulls that really suit our commercial clients backed up with New Zealand genetics for a good grass-finishing ability," he said.

"It's a team effort that spans three generations but that New Zealand connection has been there for the past 75 years and that works well for us as well as our clients."

Kevin Opray and Maree Avery, Hedley, were one of the two top-priced bull buyers and purchased Lot 5 Leawood Bos S132 for $16,000 via Phelan and Henderson & Co.

The second equal top-priced bull, Lot 4 Leawood Steaks S50, was bought by Alan and Julie Coulter, Mardan, for the same price through Nutrien South Gippsland Livestock.

Mr Coulter has bought bulls from Leawood Angus for more than a decade and runs a commercial cow herd which includes between 220-240 breeding cows.

"Leawood was recommended by my agent when I swung over to straight Angus and I've been coming here ever since," he said.

"I sell my steers in November at the Leongatha store market and retain most of my heifers as replacements and sell the excess ones after that.

"The main thing I want is a quiet and easy-handling and easy-doing bull and these bulls have a very good nature."

Leawood Steaks S50 was by Leawood Stakes N297 and out of Leawood Vanilla M180 and credited for its promising depth and length.

Meanwhile, Leawood Bos S132 was sired by Braveheart of Stern and out of Leawood Vanilla J148, and featured a high 400-day weight and 6.7 IMF.

Mr Opray said the future sire was the ninth bull the South Gippsland pair had bought from Leawood Angus.

"We were after a different line to what we had and according to a few people we knew, we heard the Braveheart bloodline was very good," he said.

"We sell three times a year and run about 650 females which are mainly black cattle.

"We're new to the show and we want to get the best we can as quick as we can because we spent 50 years as dairy farmers, but have only been breeding beef cattle for five years."

A large portion of the cattle were bought by a handful of Nutrien livestock branches on behalf of breeders, including Nutrien South Gippsland Livestock and Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock.

Other Nutrien branches including Delaney Livestock & Property, Nutrien Greenwood, and Nutrien Wonthaggi were also active throughout the sale, bidding on behalf of clients.

Nutrien South Gippsland Livestock also bought a majority of the cow and calf and heifer and calf units sold at the sale on behalf of account Stonewarra, Koonwarra.

Leawood Angus' agent, Kevin Morgan, Nutrien South Gippsland Livestock, said the sale was not as strong as he initially expected.

"The sale was soft compared to recent auctions and below my expectations," he said.

"We did have strong support from Nutrien branches so the green shirts were very strong, as were other agencies like Phelan & Henderson."