August 29, 2013
Ian Locke with top price bull buyers Suz and Guy Lord, Branga Plains Pastoral, Walcha, NSW.
NSW and Victorian beef producers chasing carcass and fertility helped underpin the Wirruna Poll Herefords spring bull and female sale this week, with prices topping at $11,000.
Hosted on-property at Holbrook by the Locke family, the August 28 Helmsman sale drew more than 50 registered seedstock and commercial bidders.
From the 61 bulls offered, a total of 57 were sold for a 93 per cent clearance, average of $4241 and gross of $241,750.
In the female catalogue, nine PTIC autumn calving heifers sold from the 10 offered to top at $2800 and average $1533.
The top price bull, was secured for $11,000 by repeat clients Guy and Suz Lord, Branga Plains Pastoral, Walcha, NSW.
The spring 2011-drop bull, Wirruna Gason G130, was an 832kg son of Wirruna Daffy D1, had been used to join stud heifers as a yearling and ranked in the top one per cent on Breedplan for grass and grainfed indices.
Cath O’Malley, Molesworth Pastoral, Molesworth, paid the second top price of $8250 for Wirruna Goondiwindi G391, a spring 2011-drop son of Wirruna Evan E209.
Ian Locke with John Waterhouse and Cath O’Malley, of Molesworth,Victoria.
A repeat Wirruna client, Ms O’Malley runs 220 Poll Hereford breeders, and targets the European Union market.
“I was looking for bulls with IMF (intramuscular fat), high EU index, calving ease, 400 day growth and milk,’’ she said.
Repeat client Ian Blight, “Gum Creek’’, Wilbriggie, was a volume buyer on the day, taking home four bulls to a top of $6500.
Mr Blight runs 500 Poll Hereford breeders, turning off yearling steers to the feeder steer or prime market.
He said his top pick, Wirruna Grong Grong G409, had good conformation, eye pigment and eye-set.
Paul Laverty and Ian Blight, Wilbriggie, NSW, bought four bulls at the sale.
“I have been buying Wirruna bulls for 15 years as the cattle do well on our native pastures and the progeny attract a premium,’’ Mr Blight said.
A Wirruna client for two generations, the Horsley family, Gundillawah Pastoral Company, Adelong, paid $8000 for Wirruna G24, a son of semen sire Wirruna Daffy D1.
The spring 2011-drop homozygous polled bull ranked in the top one per cent on Breedplan for eye muscle area, marbling and all the $Index values.
Mr Ian Horlsey said the bull had the carcass figures and visual appeal to suit his breeding program.
Adelong beef producer Ian Horsley paid $8000 for a 2011 drop bull.
He runs 250 Poll Hereford females turning off calves into the regional weaner markets.
“The Wirruna bulls produce a consistent line of calves exhibiting good growth characteristics and are easy doing cattle,’’ Mr Horsley said.
New clients, Andrew and Serena Klippel, Sugarloaf Herefords, Corryong, were volume buyers in the female lots, taking home three heifers to a top of $1700.
Charlie, John and Jo Coleiro, Young, paid to $2200 for two PTIC heifers.
They were impressed by the heifer’s type, bloodlines, conformation and joining sires.
“This sale had a good clearance considering the year and the bulls looked excellent,’’ John Coleiro said.
Wirruna principal Ian Locke was happy with the clearance, considering more bulls were catalogued this year.
Mr Locke said market and seasonal conditions had not been kind to commercial beef producers but they had shown faith in the breed at the sale.
Victorian buyers included Damian Shea, Leongatha, paying $6750 for one bull, Andrew Farington, Moyhu, with one bull for $5000, Neil Paulet, Tallangatta Valley, one bull for $3000, and Bruce Treasure, Stratford, four bulls to average $3560.
Keith Dean, Violet Town, paid $2500 for a single bull and new Wirruna client Craig Winnell, Nathalia, picked up two bulls to average $2750.
Riverina buyers included The Bull family, Boree Creek, paying to a top of $6750 for two bulls, Gunnong Pastoral Company, Coolac, buying four bulls to $6250, the Hill family, Springvale, Cootamundra, one bull for $3250, and the Booth family, Hay, two bulls to a top of $5250.
Paul and Robin Quilty, “Westwood”, Adelong, bought two bulls to a top of $4250, Ernst Weyhausen, Tooma, took home one bull for $4000, and Roger Paton, Tooma, paid $3750 for a single bull.
-Kim Woods