Quamby Plains sale at Launceston showed bulls' strong data

Quamby Plains stud principal Victoria Archer said they focused on structure, temperament and growth, which featured in the recent annual autumn sale.

"Structure is super important to us, obviously we try to have nice, soft coats and easy doing, temperament is hugely important for us and we like to have super quiet cattle, we like the bulls to reflect that," she said.

"We like to have very positive calving ease, moderate birth weights, short gestation lengths and we really try to have good growth.

"The past few years - and you can see in this drop of bulls - we're pushing the carcase traits so high eye muscle and IMF and keeping positive fats."

Newcomen Herefords, Ensay, bought the top-priced bull, Lot 4, Quamby Plains Stanley S54.

The stud also recently bought the two top-selling bulls at the Valma and Nova Poll Hereford sale in Launceston.

The August 2021-drop bull was sired by Limehills Streaker 150368 and out of Quamby Plains Innovation M830.

Its February 2023 Hereford Breedplan estimated breeding values included +4.6 kilograms birth weight, +45kg for 200-day weight, +86kg for 400-day weight, +118kg for 600-day weight, as well as +2.3 centimetres scrotal size, +5.2 square centimetres eye muscle area and +1.6 per cent intramuscular fat.

Ms Archer said the bull had great EBVs and a beautiful structure, which matched their stud goals.

"He was a lovely bull, beautiful structure to [him] and fantastic shape and muscle," she said.

"He was a good looking bull and he had great EBVs that went with him."

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She said she was rapt with this year's sale and the support from returning and new buyers.

"The sale went reasonably well, we were happy with the sale, it was really good to have our return clients back, it was great to have them come back and support our sale," she said.

"We had some new clients as well which was great."

Returning and volume buyers Adrien and Simon Vellekoop, who manage a commercial farm on King Island, were on the hunt for quiet bulls.

They purchased three bulls at the Quamby Plains sale, and another three at the Guilford Poll Hereford sale.

"Both [Quamby and Guilford bulls] were quiet, which is a big thing for us," Mr Adrien Vellekoop said.

"We didn't take anything that was too small in birth weight and look for a bit of extra meat on the back end."

Nutrien Livestock Tasmania stud stock manager Jock Gibson said the top end of the sale was strong, and a good spread of stud buyers were in attendance.

"Victoria made the comment at the start of the sale that she thought it was the best bulls that she had put up," he said.

"The top end of the sale was very strong.

"There was a good spread of stud buyers there, we had about five bulls going to studs on the mainland."