Pathfinder Angus, Gazette, mirrors its SA sale a few days prior

At the Victorian sale, an undisclosed NSW bidder paid $31,000, through AuctionsPlus, for the top-priced Rennylea son.

Several days earlier, at Naracoorte, Pathfinder hit a top price of $30,000 and average of $14,183, just shy of the Victorian figures.

Pathfinder again achieved a total clearance, with repeat and volume buyers evident during the sale.

Stud co-principal Nick Moyle said it was a "fantastic" sale, with many repeat buyers.

"There was something there for everyone, with a range from a top of $31,000 to $6000, so there was value buying at all levels," he said.

The top-selling bull, Lot 6, Pathfinder S741 was purchased early in the catalogue, but high prices were still evident right through the sale.

Pathfinder was sired by NORL519 Rennylea L519, out of SMPP301 Pathfinder Traction P301.

Pathfinder S741 weighed 894 kilograms and had TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation figures of a 3.6kg birthweight, 62kg 200-day weight, 114kg 400-day weight and 154kg 600-day weight.

His eye muscle area was measured at 10 square centimetres and he had a rib fat measurement of +0.9 millimetres, for a retail beef yield of +0.1pc.

The bull's intramuscular fat measurement was +3.4pc.

Pathfinder was described as a thick, heavy bull in the top 5pc for 400 and 600-day growth, as well as scrotal circumference (46).

The April 2021-drop bull was in the top 1 per cent for gestation length and the Angus Breeding Low Feed Cost Index ($A-L) index of $446.

The second top-priced bull was Lot 4, Pathfinder Quintessential S796, which sold for $26.000.

He was sired by Pathfinder Quintessential Q433, out of Pathfinder Ulalia Q413.

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Mr Moyle said the top-priced animal displayed a "remarkable" combination of phenotype and performance.

"He was one of our standouts, we have used him in the stud already - they are rare to come by, those bulls," he said.

Pathfinder let the bull go "reluctantly," he said.

"We can't keep 'em all, we like to offer one or two top-notch sires, and he was one of them."

It was probably one of the toughest years for feeding cattle, he said.

"We were green in February, then it died off and we didn't get an opening rain until the first week in June, so we were short on feed through winter, then spring was just so wet," Mr Moyle said.

"We were pugging paddocks in November, which was really tough for the cattle."

The stud bulls were sent to SA, and "avoided the dreadful, wet, cold spring"

"They have come up fantastically and we have got a couple of really good stockmen, who look after them so well, it just makes the job so easy".

Nutrien auctioneer Peter Godbolt, Albury, said it was a good top and a solid average, "considering where the market is, at the moment".

"Bulls were sold to Victoria, NSW, South Australia and across to King Island, so I think it was an outstanding result for the Moyle family.

"There was a lot action on AuctionsPlus too"

Mr Godbolt said bulls displayed both phenotype and a balanced blend of numbers.

"That draws the crowd, year-in and year-out - you can get bulls here with heifer bull numbers and good carcase data to go with them, but also a bit of power and performance to go with them as well," he said.

There were solid sales in the $16,000-18,000 bracket.

"It did kick again on the spring bulls, they may been a little bit softer, but the buyers picked through them and the better end still made $16-18,000," he said.

The autumn selling season was reflecting what had been happening in the store market, feedlot and processing sectors.

"It's back 20-15 per cent, mostly, across the board - there have been a few sales that have held their own with last year, but its mostly we have seen the job going," Mr Godbolt said.

'The promising thing is we are getting mostly good clearances and that's the key to getting bulls out and about."

Among the volume buyers were Paraway Pastoral Co, Orange, NSW, (13) Alanvale Farms, Broadwater, (five) and Ross Davis, Benalla, (seven).

Most of the bulls went to commercial herds.

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