IRONBARK Herefords celebrated its 42nd annual bull sale with a $44,000 top last Friday at Barraba.
Stud and commercial breeders pushed 11 bulls to double figures, with 144 of the 207 bulls offered sold at auction to average $6410.
In the breakdown 49 bulls sold between $7000 and $9000 while 84 sold between $4000 and $6000.
To celebrate the well-deserved break in the cattle market, Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce open-ed the sale.
"We're in a great spot in the beef industry with the season the way it is in some parts of the country and certainly we're in a great spot in the protein market," he said.
For the fourth consecutive year, Noel and Liz Cook, Kindon Station, Goondiwindi, Queensland, secured the top price paying $44,000 for Ironbark 0002X Advance J024.
"He is a soft, well put together bull that expresses great thickness along his topline and down his legs," said Mr Cook.
At 23 months of age, the HH Advance 0002X son weighed 914 kilograms, scanned an eye muscle area (EMA) of 128 square centimetres, intramuscular fat (IMF) of 5.5 per cent, nine millimetres of rib fat, 15mm on the rump, and a scrotal circumference of 43 centimetres.
From Ironbark 279R Elsie E004, INB J024 measured in the top three per cent of the breed for 200- and 400-day weights and EMA and the top one per cent for 600-day weight and milk.
"INB J024 is one of the better Hereford bulls bred by Iron- bark," said stud principal, Adrian Spencer.
It is the commitment and performance of the Ironbark breeding program that draws the Cook family to make the trip south each year.
"Ironbark cattle have great weight for age, they fit into our lot and bull breeding programs perfectly and handle the dry conditions very well," said Mr Cook, who joins about 3000 females annually.
"They have good growth rates, produce well and are very fertile."
Ironbark F057 Advance J409, a 21-month old, Ironbark 7101T Advance F057 son weighing 724 kilograms sold for $30,000 to Andy and Serina Klippel, Sugarloaf Creek Herefords, Corryong, Victoria.
The bull scanned an EMA of 110cm2, an IMF of 5.6pc, a rib measure of 7mm, 13mm on the rump, and a scrotal circumference of 37cm.
INB J409 was from a GH Neon 17N female, Ironbark 17N Miss Minnie E107, and measured in the top 10pc of the breed for milk, 200-, 400- and 600-day weight.
Mr Klippel was excited to secure the stand-out sire, which was his first purchase from Ironbark.
"We looked at hundreds of bulls and none stacked up. The way he carries his spine and head is perfect and he has beautiful feet and conformation," he said.
In the market for a new stud sire with outcross bloodlines, Mr Klippel extended his search north and put Geoff Hayes, Elders Glen Innes, on the job.
"We were attracted to the Advance bloodline - they're easy doing bulls with calving ease and good birth weight," Mr Hayes said.
Ironbark's new Australian sire, Mawarra Yesteryear, also hit the mark with lot one, Ironbark Yesteryear J028 selling for $12,000 to The Downs Pastoral Company, "Tulgai", Gurley.
The 22-month old weighed 978kg with a scrotal circumference of 42cm, fat scans of 9mm and 13mm on the rib and rump, an EMA of 126cm2 and an IMF of 6.6pc.
Australian Food and Agriculture, Victoria, averaged $5800 for a total draft of 45 bulls for use across its two operations at "Boonoke", Conargo, and "Wingadee", Coonamble.
Ellerston Pty Ltd, Scone, put together a draft of eight bulls to top at $9000 and average $7265.
Jack and Stuart Hicks, Hicks Herefords, Running Creek, Vic, surpassed their 100th bull purchase from Ironbark at this year's sale securing a draft of 11 bulls to top at $7000 and average $4417.
Other significant purchases included underbidders on lot two, Hylands Herefords, Cootamundra, who later secured Home Builder and Victory Blend sons for $11,000 and $9000 respectively; return clients, Bill and Helen Cain, "Selkirk", Strathdownie, Vic, purchased three bulls to average $9000, while Bando Station, Mullaley, bought three to top at $11,000 and average $7667.
Rockwell Partnership, Warialda, loaded four bulls for a $7500 aver-age; the Boland family, Tasmania, paid $8000 and $9000 for four bulls to average $7400, and Golden Ag Pty Ltd, "Taroo", Collarenebri, secured five bulls to average $6200.
Stud principal Adrian Spencer was pleased to see buyers travelled from as far north as Queensland, as far south as Tasmania and from across NSW.
"It was a good, strong sale underpinned by our strong association with feedlotters and processors who source Ironbark blood, a real feature was the demand for Advance bulls, a low birth weight bloodline with superior milking ability."
