A phone bidder at Rosewhite will take home a top Alpine Angus bull

Henshaw Angus stud co-principals Jack and Brianna Henshaw, Kempsey, NSW, bought the top-priced bull, Lot 50, at the Alpine Angus autumn bull sale today.

Mr Henshaw said they had tried to get to the sale in person, but recently welcomed a newborn baby and decided on the bull through his dataset and video footage.

"He's got good solid breeding, with the videos and that you could just see he was what we wanted, and his data was very strong," he said.

"My heart and gut was there, and it makes the decision pretty easy then."

He said they would collect semen, and were just finishing AI programs with their stud and would put the bull in with the herd, and join him to a "big run of cows" earlier next year.

"Where his strengths are he'll fit well into our breeding operation, and the phenotype as well, he's a very good bull," Mr Henshaw said.

The top-priced bull, Lot 50, Alpine Goalkeeper T230, sold for $32,000 and was sired by Balridge Sr Goalkeeper and out of Alpine Moongara N316.

Its TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation estimated breeding values included +4.5 kilograms birth weight, +65kg 200-day weight, +117kg 400-day weight, +145kg 600-day weight, as well as +4.3 centimetres scrotal size, +11.2 square centimetres eye muscle area and +1.8 per cent intramuscular fat.

The sale offered 88 lots and sold 78, to a top price of $32,000 and average price of $10,949.

Nutrien Ivone Agencies livestock manager Dan Ivone said there were two local breeders at the sale who bought the next two top-priced bulls, and strong support from Corryong, Tallangatta and Omeo districts.

"The sale was very strong, the early bulls sold very very well, they were just a bit stronger condition-wise than they have been," he said.

"With recent weaner sales, it's been good publicity for the Alpine bulls."

Returning buyers Rob and Craig Ferguson, Bowmans Forest, bought the second top-priced bull, Lot 3, for $26,000.

The bull, Alpine Quarterback T301, sold for $26,000 and was sired by Murdeduke Quarterback Q011 and out of Alpine Longshot P354.

Its EBVs included +4.6 kilograms birth weight, +60kg 200-day weight, +107kg 400-day weight, +144kg 600-day weight, as well as +4.0 centimetres scrotal size, +4.6 square centimetres eye muscle area and +4.3 per cent intramuscular fat.

An Alpine Angus former employee Tim Brown was a volume buyer at the sale, with three bulls.