Leawood Angus bull sale's top price sold to local operation

The stud also sold two lots of unjoined heifers to $1200, and four lots of cows with mixed-sex calves to a top price of $2550.

Repeat buyers Maree Avery and Kevin Opray, Hedley, purchased Lot 6, Leawood Qube T015, for the top price of the sale of $16,000, through their agent Phelan & Henderson & Co director David Phelan, Yarram.

The bull was sired by Leawood Qube 272 and out of dam Leawood Vanilla Q075.

It recorded a birth weight (BW) of 33 kilograms, frame score of 6.7 and sale weight of 718kg.

Also purchased by Mr Opray and Ms Avery was Lot 3, Leawood Paddy T215, a bull with a BW of 36kg, frame score of 6.1 and sale weight of 694kg.

Their third and final purchase was Lot 18, Leawood Rags T134, a bull that had a BW of 40kg, sale weight of 658kg and a frame score of 6.6.

Mr Opray said under Mr Phelan's advice, they liked the shape of the top-priced bull and hoped it would help balance the genetics of their 700-head herd.

"We've got a lot of Leawood cattle already, we're return buyers," he said.

"We needed two bulls, but we ended up with three.

"The other two were similar and good value, but they add different genetics."

Mr Opray said he raised cattle typically for feedlots so the bullock fat was a focus for him.

Mr Phelan said Leawood offered a very-good line up of bulls, and Leawood Qube T015 took his eye as Mr Opray's operation already had a bull from the stud with similar genetics.

Leawood Angus stud principal Luke Stuckey, Flynn, was pleased with the result from the sale.

"It was probably a little-bit better than expected with where the cattle job's at as well, so to average a little over $9000, we're happy with that," Mr Stuckey said.

"South Gippsland is a big bull-going area for us, but this year, we've actually sold a few up over the hills Mansfield way so we're starting to stretch a little bit more which is good."

He said the total clearance of cows was a surprise, but it was good to see they sold to repeat, local buyers who knew their genetics.

Nutrien stud stock manager Peter Godbolt said the bull market had held up better than the commercial sector currently.

Mr Godbolt said it was typical that the bull sales were usually about six months behind trends seen in the commercial market, when it was on a decline, but it was good to see farmers still investing heavily in genetics at sales.