Sugarloaf Creek Herefords at Towong sends bulls to Omeo, Benambra

The Towong stud sold 26 of 32 bulls to a top price of $26,000 to average $9923.

Fourteen of the bulls sold during the sale were bought by clients from the Omeo, Benambra and Ensay districts, many who breed calves for the annual autumn Mountain Calf Sales in March.

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Sugarloaf Herefords stud principals Andy and Serena Klippel said the sale was "tough", but underpinned by several loyal, return buyers who had bought from the stud for more than a decade.

"It's a combination of a rise in living costs and a softening of the beef prices," Mr Klippel said.

"It was tougher than we expected but when you look at other sales in the last two weeks, it's on par."

The stud recorded a 100pc clearance in 2022 with a top-price of $30,000 and an average of $15,600.

The Klippels said most of the bulls were bought by return clients, including the two top-priced lots.

The Reid family, Reid Trust, Howlong, NSW, were not only the top-priced buyers, but also the volume buyers after securing the leading two bulls of the sale for $26,000 (Lot 7) and $22,000 (Lot 5), respectively, plus another two Herefords.

Robert Reid, who runs the operation with his son Scott and grandson Marcus, said he had bought Sugarloaf bulls for more than 15 years.

"When you sell calves in the saleyard, you have to get your cosmetics right - they have to look good - and these bulls perform really well for us," he said.

"They put the weight on in the right places, they have great weight gains and the people who buy our calves always give us good feedback."

He said the bulls would be joined to mixed-aged cows and heifers in June.

Long-term client Springfield Pastoral Company, Culcairn, NSW, bought two bulls, including Lot 10 for $20,000 and Lot 9 for $8000.

Simon and Sonya Lawlor, Upper Livingstone, Omeo, bought two bulls for $9000 and $5000, while Phil and Kerry Geehman, Ensay, bought two bulls for $11,000 and $9000.

AG & SM Pendergast, Benambra, bought one bull for $12,000, while Brian Dyer, Benambra, bought two bulls for $9000 and $5000.

Granite Flat Pastoral Co, Mitta Mitta, bought two bulls for $15,000 and $8000.

"The positive out of the sale was that there were a lot of return clients willing to spend their $15,000-$20,000 on the top end of the bulls for their commercial operations," Nutrien Stud Stock agent Peter Godbolt said.

"The sale was comparable with what is happening in the marketplace, but there were a lot of new faces too."

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