Yerwal Estate smashes stud record in strong start to SA Angus Week

It was easily a new stud record for thrilled stud principals Connie and Regan Burow and got SA Angus Week sales off to a great start.

Although Yerwal Sterling Pacific T62 was offered mid way through the catalogue at lot 16 there was no fear of the June 2022 drop being overlooked with its tremendous eye appeal and data ranking in the top 1 or 2pc for all market indexes.

In his pre-sale amble Nutrien stud stock auctioneer Richard Miller knew he had something special to sell describing the May 2022 drop as "one of the best Angus bulls he had seen during Beef Week".

He said the appeal included modern genetics, impeccable structure and being out of a top cow family

"We don't often see an eye muscle area of +13.4 (top 5pc of the breed) and high IMF (+4.0) go together and the bull itself is soft, easy doing with great weight for age being 900kg as a May drop," he said.

After an opening bid of $10,000 several commercial bidders battled it but in the end it was Lachlan McKenzie who runs an Angus herd between Coleraine and Casterton, Vic who had the last bid before the gavel fell.

Mr McKenzie - who has been buying bulls from Yerwal for about six years - described Pacific T62 as the "complete package".

"He has great structure and he has so much girth, capacity and doing ability and his data matches," he said.

"When I first looked at him I thought he was a bit short but it only appears that way because he has so much depth."

Mr McKenzie said Pacific had been bought in partnership with a couple of clients from his McKenzie Ag Services' grain and hay business.

They will use Pacific for an autumn joining before Mr McKenzie uses the bull in his spring calving herd. Semen will also be collected and used in an AI program.

"He was a bull that jumped out. If he was at one of the higher profile studs he may have made even more (money)," he said.

"we have shares in (Texas) Quinella and Renegade and he is up with them."

The new stud record was not the only highlight in the sale with more outcross genetics two sons of another new US sire EG Eyes On You, the second and third highest priced bulls.

Mr McKenzie bought lot three for $20,000 while lot 4 sold for $16,000 to Heathvale Pastoral, Millicent who were the sale's volume buyer with four Angus for a $13,000 average.

The stands were full for Yerwal Estate's first combined Angus and Simmental sale with the breeds sold separately in previous years.

It was also the first time videos of the bulls were played to the gallery rather than the offering being put through the ring.

In a strong result 27 of 30 Angus bulls averaged $11,740. In comparison in 2023, 34 of 39 bulls averaged $8000.

Mr and Mrs Burow said it was very humbling to see such strong support for their cattle from both new and repeat clients.

"It is very rewarding to get this result after all the hard work we are putting in and how hard we are searching for the right genetics for our program," Mr Burow said.

Demand fell away in the Simmental and SimAngus offering with four of the nine lots averaging $11,000.

Buyers were chasing the homozygous polled and black bulls which included the $17,000 highest priced Simmental bull, Yerwal Estate Tycoon.

This lot 37 sold to EWP&ER Jones, Mumbannar, Vic, to be used over Angus cows.

Gary Jones said after being losing bidder three years ago to a bull out of the same top ET donor females his father was keen to buy this one especially as it "ticked all the boxes".

Guest vendors Renee and Quentin Mooney, Mt Mooney stud, Tintinara, received $5000 each for two traditional coloured ET full brothers and $7000 for their SimAngus which was the last bull in the sale.

Mr Miller commended Yerwal Estate on the consistency of its bulls and said it was appreciated by the 29 registered bidders- the largest gallery of buyers he had seen at the stud.

"The bulls were well presented and he (Regan) has really worked hard on his Breedplan figures in the past four or five years which had been wanting in a few areas, he has introduced two of three new sires that have really clicked with his cow herd," he said.

Nutrien Naracoorte conducted the sale.