SIMMENTAL bulls rocketed to $20,000 highs at the annual Wormbete and Valley Creek Simmental sale at Illabo last week as stud buyers from four States turned out to compete with a healthy commercial clientele.
In the wrap 18 of 34 bulls sold to the $20,000 high to average $4611, while seven of eight stud heifers topped at $6250 to average $4250.
The top bull was sold by Stuart Moeck and Samantha Gibson, Valley Creek Simmentals, Schofields,to Mark Vallender, "Murrungully", Goulburn, for $20,000, who also took home Valley Creek's top heifer for $4500.
He was 20-month-old Valley Creek Joker, a poll sire by Valley Creek Harrach out of a Barana Felton female, with low birth weight at +2.3, 600 day to +30, positive carcase data to +1.6 for eye muscle area and +0.4 retail beef yield and recent;y sashed the reserve champion Simmental bull at the 2014 Royal Brisbane show.
The bull was sold with the Valley Creek stud opting to deliver the bull after they had shown him at Sydney Royal at the end of the month and gave the option for the buyers to show the bull at Beef 2015 in Rockhampton, as they had entered him if the purchaser wished.
Simpson and Simpson paid $8500 for the top bull from the Hopkins families Wormbete stud, Illabo, Wormbete Junee J128, a polled son of Callendale Frank ALUPF 0110, with style, length, outlook, performance and a good balance of figures at +41 for 600 day growth, +2.6 EMA, and +0.3 intra muscular fat percentage.
Fellow stud breeders Scott and Claire York, Billa Park Simmentals, Dulacca, Queensland, paid $6000 for a polled son of Wormbete General, described as a solid performer with raw scan fats of five and seven millimeters respectively, strong growth and a good balance of positive carcase data.
Andrew Moore, Lucrana Simmentals, Texas, Qld, joined the action paying $4000 for Wormbete Juggernaut J37, a polled sire with growth, softness and mobility, while Paul Ferry, "Abingdon Station", Gundagai, paid $5500 for a homozygous polled Simmental bull Wormbete Judicial J35 who scanned a raw grassfed EMA of 135cm.
Volume buyers Wakefield Ashurst, "Boomey Park", Molong, were measured in their approach as they bought one bull from the Wormbete stud and five bulls from the Valley Creek stud to average $3000 for the six bulls secured.
In the heifers Dale Chappel, Tennyson, Victoria, paid $6250 for homozygous polled Wormbete Hermoine J41, a Wormbete Gellong G45 daughter, described as a deep, thick, soft, well structured female with exceptional scanning results.
SB and JK Cameron, Shepparton, Vic, paid $5250, $3250 and $2500 for three stylish females, packed with plenty of performance, while Grangeburn Simmentals, Penola, South Australia, took home Wormbete Nola J96 for $4500.
The sale was conducted by Landmark with Michael Glasser GTSM, Wodonga as guest auctioneer.