A bullish year: the top 10 bulls of 2014

TELPARA Hills Black Brangus bull sold for $110,000 at the 38th annual Brangus Association-sponsored Rockhampton sale on October 13-14. The 23-month-old Telpara Hills Van Damme 541H30 (P) (AI) (ET) was offered by Trevor and Maureen Pearce and family, Atherton, sending loud cheers through the Gracemere Saleyards as the hammer fell. It is believed to be the highest price ever paid at auction for a Black Brangus bull in Australia.

The bull was purchased by Nebo commercial Brangus and Wagyu producers Mal and Sue Burston, Broadlea Station, who out-bid the Dobe family, CPR Brangus, Gumlu (near Bowen), for a three-quarter share in semen and full possession of the GR Swift 209W3 (P) (AI) son. The buyers cited the young bull's marbling score as the drawcard.

"This bull is in the top 1 per cent of the Brangus breed for marbling, and we're looking to enhance the marbling in our Brangus/Wagyu F1-cross," Mr Burston said. Van Damme weighed 901kg, scored 12 and 10mm in rump and rib fat, measured an eye muscle area of 125sq cm and his intramuscular fat score was 6.1pc.

Commercial producer, Gavin Scott, Rosetta, Collinsville couldn't believe he was able to buy NCC Bohemian for $75,000, at the NCC Brahman annual sale on October 28. He figured a stud buyer would chase harder than him.

The home bull breeder who maintains a red and grey Brahman herd produces 40 to 50 bulls annually for his Collinsville based operation which includes Rosetta and Yacamunda stations and plans to sell semen in the eye-catching JDH Mr Elmo Manso son. The 20-month-old, 864kg, Bohemian had an eye muscle area (EMA) of 146sqcm and an intra-muscular fat (IMF) score of 4.1pc.

"I shouldn't have been able to buy him," Mr Scott said. "Stud buyers should have been taking him home." Mind you, Mr Scott is thrilled with his purchase. "I only have to get 20 calves from him and he'll have paid for himself straight up."

The Thompson family's Millah Murrah Angus bull sale in September resulted in a 100 per cent clearance of 95 bulls, setting a new national Angus breed record sale average of $9147, surpassing the previous record of $8850 for 80 bulls set by Millah Murrah in 2011.

The pre-sale hype was around lot 21, Millah Murrah Hercules H250. At 23-months, it was the heaviest bull in the draft at 1082 kilograms, was byMillah Murrah Neutron E78 and out of Millah Murrah Flower E120 - the full sister to the number one ranked feed efficiency bull in the first cohort of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program, Millah Murrah Equity E123. When bidding reached $70,000, Hercules H250 was knocked down to Ed Bateman of Gilmandyke Angus, Orange. Mr Bateman said the Millah Murrah catalogue was the "best line-up of bulls I have seen at a sale", and he (MM Hercules H250) was the "best of the best". "The feed conversion potential is of use to us, as it means our clients will make more money, which is what it is all about," he said.

A seasonal top price of $64,000 was achieved over the first two days of selling at the annual Rockhampton Brahman Week Sale at the Central Queensland Livestock Exchange, Gracemere in early October.

Claiming the top price of $64,000 was the 31-month-old polled sire Ferry Dale Barocca (AI) (P), a son of Elrose Barocca from a Ferry Dale Fran matron, offered by Ernie and Margaret Mollenhagen, Ferry Dale Brahmans, Mount Perry. He was selected by Northern Territory buyers Ian and Laura Hoare, Elsey Station, Katherine. Mrs Hoare first spotted him in the online catalogue and checked him out immediately on arrival at the Gracemere Saleyards. "He is a beautiful, smooth, structurally correct bull," she said.

"We will use him over some of our 400 selected stud cows to breed bulls for our commercial operation, joining up to 7000 commercial breeders to supply the live export market."

Very late on the second day of selling Droughtmaster National sale at CQLX Gracemere, Queensland, on Septebmer 17, Hamadra Draper created a bidding dual to record the top money. He was offered by Andrew and Kerri McKenzie, Hamadra, Bluff and eventually sold to Ken and Kerry McKenzie, Yaralla Droughtmasters, Blackwater.

Ken McKenzie said he first spotted Hamadra Draper when it was a weaner and had tried to buy it from his brother Andrew a couple of times. "We have been chasing a good sire for a few years, and I didn't want to lose him," Ken McKenzie said. Hamadra Draper (S) is by Hamadra Kacoby from a Hamadra female family, and is the grandson of Hamadra Cody who holds the top-price record for the Hamadra Stud, selling to $65,000 to Kylie Graham, Mungalla Stud, Taroom, in 2006. Draper entered the sale ring weighing 800 kilograms with fat measurements of 10mm at the P8, and 7mm at the rib, eye muscle area (EMA) of 136sq cm, and 41cm scrotal circumference.

Still at the Droughtmaster National sale and selling at $50,000 was the polled sire prospect Skye Wilfred, offered by Michael Ingram of Skye Droughtmasters, Alpha. At just 21 months old, Skye Wilfred is by Skye Quebec and from the strong Aldinga female line. He was secured by Brian and Yvonne Heck, Bryvonlea Droughtmasters, Glastonbury, as a stud sire prospect. "We really liked his beef, bone and sire power," Mrs Heck said.

Skye Wilfred sold with a weight of 854kg, scrotal circumference of 43cm, fat measurements of 8mm at P8, 6mm at the rib, and EMA of 138sq cm.

The Caldwell family's Milwillah Angus bull sale at Young saw commercial buyers paid to $48,000.

The result was led by the first sons of Coonamble Elevator E11, a bull bought in partnership with Nairn Park Angus from Western Australia, with the 13 bulls offered, grossing $104,500 and averaging $8038 across the sale. Breeding on is what it is all about and the top priced bull has definitely done that recording a 50 per cent higher price than his father Milwillah Elsom F189, who topped the sale two years ago at $32,000. He was Milwillah Elsom H283 out of a Milwillah Barunah E51 female, as the youngest bull in the catalogue, with a birth weight EBV of +3.8, moderate growth through to +94 for 600 day, +6.7 eye muscle area, +2.4 intra muscular fat percentage and +$122 long fed indices.

Elsom H283 was bought by Bryan Hayden, "Buchan Station", East Gippsland, Victoria, who is a commercial breeder of 600 cows producing calves for the Bairnsdale prime cattle markets, aiming for weights of 350 kilograms, but has had a strong presence in the stud world on the back of marketing TeMania ADA 149.

At the Santa Central Sale, Clifton, in September a new seasonal breed high was set with 25-month, 1032kg, Warenda Halifax (P) sold by Sylvia Kirkby, Warenda Stud, Narrabri, NSW. Taking the son of Warenda Denver (P) with an EMA of 134 was the Hatton family, Diamond H Stud, Chinchilla. Eight of the second crop of sons sired by Denver (Warenda Mahogany) averaged $12,253 for the Warenda prefix.

At the 55th annual Yarrawonga Waco Santa Gertrudis bull sale, Wallumbilla, in September, there was a fantastic display of confidence in the Yarrawonga Waco breeding direction and Santa Gertrudis cattle generally.

Studmasters paid up to a Queensland bull-selling season high of $45,000. This was on the back of unprecedented support by commercial beef producers. Yulgilbar Station general manager Rob Sinnamon, Baryulgil via Grafton, NSW, bought the 21-month-old Yarrawonga Drover J586 (P), a beautifully balanced son of Waco F268 (P), for $45,000. He weighed in at 858 kilograms and recorded an average daily weight gain of 1.29kg.Y Drover was named reserve junior champion at the recent Brisbane exhibition and was a unique individual, according to Mr Sinnamon.

He said Drover, through his exceptional pedigree and performance, would complement his stud operation.

At the 55th annual Yarrawonga Waco Santa Gertrudis bull sale, Wallumbilla, in September, there was a fantastic display of confidence in the Yarrawonga Waco breeding direction and Santa Gertrudis cattle generally.

Studmasters paid up to a Queensland bull-selling season high of $45,000. This was on the back of unprecedented support by commercial beef producers. Yulgilbar Station general manager Rob Sinnamon, Baryulgil via Grafton, NSW, bought the 21-month-old Yarrawonga Drover J586 (P), a beautifully balanced son of Waco F268 (P), for

$45,000. He weighed in at 858 kilograms and recorded an average daily weight gain of 1.29kg. Y Drover was named reserve junior champion at the recent Brisbane exhibition and was a unique individual, according to Mr Sinnamon.

He said Drover, through his exceptional pedigree and performance, would complement his stud operation.

A POLL Hereford bull made $45,000 for Injemira Beef Genetics, Holbrook, this year. The strapping 958-kilogram

Injemira Anzac H006 had been billed in the catalogue as one of the best bulls the operation had ever offered.

Prospective buyers agreed, quickly pushing prices to a top of $45,000 - a new record for Injemira. He was snapped up by Sam Becker, Jarrah Herefords, Rockhampton, Queensland. By Allendale Anzac E114 - a $30,000 purchase by Injemira at the 2011 Poll Hereford National, Dubbo - the bull had estimated breeding values in the top one per cent for the European Union Index. The charge of the Anzacs was the talking point of the sale, as they were the first drop of Anzac E114 sons to be offered. All 19 calves born by the super sire made the front half of Injemira's sale catalogue.

They grossed a remarkable $197,500, to average a whopping $10,395, to set up one of, if not the strongest, on-property whiteface sale ever seen. In all, Injemira cleared 69 bulls to buyers from five States for an average of $6891 to set a new benchmark for the autumn sale season.

Also at the 55th annual Yarrawonga Waco Santa Gertrudis bull sale, Wallumbilla, Yarrawonga J574 (P), a superb son of the highly regarded Waco Xray (P), with plenty of bone and loose, supple skin, was bought by progressive young studmasters Dan and Kasey Phillips, Murgona stud, Burradoo, Wandoan, for $44,000. "J 574 was hard to fault with great depth and plenty of natural thickness with a strong poll head," said Mr Phillips.

AT the Rockhampton Brahman Week Sale at the Central Queensland Livestock Exchange, Gracemere in early October, Red Brahman bulls sold to a top price of $44,000 when the 35-month-old sire Yoman 2069/2, offered by Stewart, Stephanie, and Tom Nobbs, Yoman Brahmans, Moura, sold as a stud sire prospect to an Olsen family syndicate. The syndicate included parents Andy and Margo Olsen, Neslo Brahmans, Wandoan, along with son Richard and Sallyanne Olsen, Arresso Brahmans, Bouldercombe, and son Tony and Emma Olsen, Lindley Park, Mackay.

According to family spokesperson Richard Olsen, the family selected Yoman 2069/2 on his confirmation, exceptional temperament and eye muscle area of 147sq cm. "We all liked him very much, and have always been taken with the Yoman cattle - we really like 'their type'," Richard said. Yoman 2069/2, a son of Kandoona Mendoza, from the Yoman female line, entered the selling ring with a weight of 1040 kilograms, with impressive fat scans of 9 millimetres at the P8, and 7mm at the rib, and an eye muscle area of 147sq cm.

The 30th annual Palgrove sale in August saw the top wtih Palgrove Hallmark (P), bought for $44,000 by father and son team Michael and Mark Hopgood, Enmore, Goondiwindi. Hallmark, who is by Palgrove Charm (P) who is in turn by Palgrove Viagra (P), weighed 962kg at 24 months, has a 150cm2 eye muscle area (EMA), and 42cm scrotal circumference. He also had marbling percentage of 4, rump fat of 12 and a rib fat of 8. He is in the top 5pc of the Charolais breed for EMA and the top 10pc for fat cover. Hallmark, a DNA tested homozygous poll, red factor sire, will be used over 50 selected cows in the Hopgood Charolais stud herd. "This bull is the benchmark for what we should be aiming for in the Charolais breed," Mark Hopgood said.