Ensay Newcomen Hereford stud sells top-priced bull to YavenVale

YavenVale Poll Herefords, Adelong, NSW, secured the bull, Lot 43, for $17,000 on Wednesday during the Newcomen family's 20^th on-property bull sale in East Gippsland.

In February 2022, Newcomen Hereford stud principals Barry and Topsy Newcomen bought the Adelong stud's top-priced bull for $120,000, with semen rights purchased by McIntosh family at Bonegilla.

"I suppose it's a case of you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours," Mr Newcomen said.

"We passed a few bulls in which I expected, I thought there would be more passed in towards the end, but we did lot the bulls so that we had the best bulls spread throughout the sale."

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Forty-five bulls sold during the auction, with 19 passed in to record an average of $8288, down from $10,000.

The top-priced bull, Newcomen Smoko, was an April 2021-drop 824-kilogram bull sired by Mawarra Superior P023 and out of dam Newcomen Maritana N031.

"There was no other bull with such good figures in our sale," Mr Newcomen said.

"He's a bull that was under the radar when we yarded him, and perhaps he should have been further up in the sale."

The bull had an impressive array of Breedplan data; he was in the top 4 per cent of the breed for 200, 400 and 600-day growth, top 10pc for milk, rump and rib and top 15pc for scrotal circumference and IMF.

YavenVale Poll Herefords stud principal James Pearce said the bull's balanced Estimated Breeding Values and dam, a female cow which had produced a consistent progeny in the Newcomen herd, drew his attention.

"He ticks all boxes basically because he has a very good birth to growth spread, he's high for IMF and milk, and particularly good for his doing ability," Mr Pearce, who bought the bull via AuctionsPlus, said.

"We'll calve 1300 stud and commercial females in 2023 so we've got big numbers to join this year and that bull will be used as a backup behind artificial insemination in our herd.

"I've been trying to buy a bull from Barry for a long time and we wanted a registered bull so luckily this bull ticked that box too."

Among the volume buyers was Bindi Station which bought seven bulls to a top of $8000 three times.

"I heard on the grapevine that Bindi Station wanted five and they saw an opportunity and seized it," Mr Newcomen said.

"They've been good buyers for years and have done a really good job.

"I know for a fact their cattle have improved dramatically since they've been on our blood."

Bindi Station manager Fraser Barry, Bindi, said the bulls would be joined to a herd of mixed-aged Hereford cows, and heifers.

"Bindi Station has been buying Newcomen bulls for many years now and we're extremely happy with their performance," Mr Fraser said.

"We thought the prices were excellent for what we were getting so we went a bit harder because we need to replace a lot of our older bulls."

Among the other volume buyers were Evan and Dot Newcomen, Ensay, who bought three bulls, including Lot 2 for $10,000 and Lots 8 and 28 for $16,000, respectively.

Scott Anderson, Benambra, bought five bulls to a top price of $13,000 for Lot 60, as well as the final lot of the sale, Lot 66, which was knocked down for $11,000 but reduced to half price ($5,500) to mark the 20^th sale.

MT & JE McNamara, via north-east Victorian agency Corcoran Parker, bought three bulls to $12,000.

Mr Newcomen said many of the buyers were spread across the Ensay, Omeo and Benambra districts.

Elders stud stock manager for Victoria/Riverina, Ross Milne, said it was a solid result.

"It was a very similar clearance to last year and considering the current climate at the moment and after talking to Barry, he was happy with the outcome," he said.

"A majority of the cattle went to local buyers, as well into south-east South Australia, and the cattle presented well."

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