Tarcombe Herefords, Ruffy, has celebrated its 50th annual production sale by smashing its previous on-property top price.
The stud sold its top bull, lot 1A Tarcombe Resolve T230 (AI) (ET) (PP), to two brothers from the Broadford-Kilmore area, whose family have been buying stud stock there for two generations.
Stud co-principal Tim Hayes said Resolve sold for $18,000, which was $3000 higher than last year and the highest price achieved at an on-property sale.
Tarcombe sold 19 of 36 bulls at auction, averaging $6842 and 12 of 22 heifers, to a top of $4400, averaging $2733.
The bull went to brothers Gerard and Brian Kelly, who farm at Broadford and Kilmore East, respectively.
Mr Hayes said the stud offered two bulls in its first lot, opting to keep the one which wasn't sold.
"We wanted to retain one, it didn't worry me either way as we will keep semen from the one that was sold," Mr Hayes said.
"There is limited semen available for this sire and I thought they were both good types of bulls, we could use.
"The estimated breeding values were good, high calving ease, good early growth, and big muscle, fat cover and marbling."
He said bulls and heifers went to Colac, Yea, Casterton, Leongatha and to South Australia.
Yavenvale Herefords, Adelong, New South Wales, was one of two studs who bought animals.
Most of the animals went to commercial producers, he said.
"That's what we breed them for, for commercial clients."
The to-priced polled bull had Hereford BREEDPlan estimated breeding values of a birthweight of 5.2 kilograms, a 200-day weight of 49kg, a 400-day weight of 73kg and 600-day weight of 99kg,
His carcase weight was 70kg.
Resolve had an eye muscle area of 7.9 square centimetres, a rib fat of 2.5mm and rump fat of 2.7mm.
His retail beef yield was estimated at 1.3 per cent, while his intramuscular fat measured 1.2pc.
Resolve weighed 652kg and had a scrotal size of 37.
Gerard Kelly said it was "a toss of the coin in the end" between the two bulls.
"They were both very good bulls, we probably just went with 1A based a little bit more on the figures, we were looking for a bull to put over more mature cows, so we weren't so worried about birthweight," he said.
Mr Kelly said he was running about 60 females, while brother Brian was running a herd of about 80.
"We've been there for many years and my father Brian has been buying almost since they first started," he said.
"We just seem to keep going back, each year, the cattle do well in our country and what you see is what you get, on sale-day."
The top-priced female was Tarcombe Priscella T139 (P), joined to Tarcombe McLaren Q203, which sold for $4400 to Wanrua Poll Herefords, Newry.
She was sired by Wirruna Phil P273 (AI) (PP) out of Cannawigra 8557 Priscilla K30 (AI) (P).
Rodwells Euroa livestock agent Mick Curtis said the better end of the bulls "sold really well".
"The bulls and the females presented really well and Tim is doing a good job, genetically with the cattle," Mr Curtis said.
"Each year they seem to be improving."
The top-priced bull had a low birth weight, good growth and was "appealling to the eye".
"He was a nice, soft, good thick and shaped bull," he said.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
