BIDDING reached a top of $14,000 for a home-bred bull at the third annual Waratah Speckle Park on-property sale at “Waratah”, Guyra on Monday.
Thirty two of 34 two-year-old bulls offered sold for a clearance of 94 per cent and average of $7265 while all three yearling bulls sold for an average of $7500.
Cattle went to NSW, Victoria and Queensland, with strong stud interest for bulls and females.
The top-priced bull, Waratah Keepsake K053, went to repeat New England clients Robert, Tracey and Katrina Doak, “Drogheda Speckle Parks”, Bundarra.
The 24-month-old son of Waratah Hume H14 and Waratah Spanish Angel F12 was the heaviest bull in the catalogue, weighing 780 kilograms. He had rump and rib fat of 10 millimetres and 7mm respectively, an eye muscle area (EMA) of 110 square centimetres and intramuscular fat (IMF) of 5.6pc.
Stud principal Laiton Turnham said he was happy to see a home-bred bull topping the sale for the third year in a row, but it was a sale for all Speckle Park breeders, with bulls selling from $3000.
Mr Doak said the bull would be used in the commercial herd over first-cross Speckle Park heifers and Santa Gertrudis cows as well as in the stud.
“We liked his carcase qualities, his length and his muscle,” he said.
“We’ve been using Speckle Park bulls in our commercial herd for about six years and they’ve got terrific yield.”
Waratah King Kong K018, a 23-month-old bull by Waratah Speckled Gold G25 from Waratah H10, sold to Queenslanders Dennis Peters and Liz McDonnell, “Townson”, Lockyer Valley. He weighed 656kg, measured 6mm and 4mm for rump and rib fat, had an EMA of 106cm2 and IMF of 4.1pc.
Waratah Kingfisher K08, a 24-month-old son of Sponts ‘n’ Sprouts Stand Alone 300X and Waratah E35, was the first of four bulls selling for $11,000.
He was bought by Jim Curran, “Warwick Park”, Middlemount, Queensland, who also purchased Waratah Kaeto K95 for $11,000.
Allan Crawford, “Glenvillan”, Kingaroy, Queensland, bought two $11,000 bulls, Waratah Kensington K149, a 21-month-old by Codiak Putnum 61Y from Prarie Hill Amy’s Girl F8, as well as Kensington’s full brother, 22-month-old bull Waratah Koolie K133.
Three bulls – Waratah Klepie K106, Waratah Kilo K003 and Waratah Kaleidoscope K82 – sold for $10,000, while Waratah Kacey K135 and yearling bull Waratah Lighthouse L120 each made $9000.
Mr Crawford was the volume buyer in the bull sale, purchasing four bulls for an average of $9125.
Mr Curran bought three bulls for an average of $10,666 and Vince and Samantha McAuliffe, “Bellvue”, Manilla, purchased three bulls for a top of $10,000 and average of $7500.
The female sale topped at $10,000, with eight PTIC heifers averaging $5312 and 20 yearling heifers averaging $5050.
Repeat client Murray Van der Drift, Black Diamond Speckle Parks, Macorna, Victoria, bought the top heifer, Waratah Ember L123, a 10-month-old daughter of Codiak Amigo and Waratah Ember J185.
She’ll be used in the stud herd of 35 breeders.
“She’s a well-balanced heifer and we were after the new genetics from Amigo,” Mr Van der Drift said.
Two PTIC heifers, Waratah Fancy Feet J58 and Waratah Amy K112, each made $8500 and an 11-month-old heifer, Waratah Pho-Finish L130, sold for $8000.
Black Diamond Speckle Parks was the volume buyer, purchasing six females for an average of $6750.
The McAuliffes bought five females, topping at $8500 and averaging $5100.
The sale was conducted by Ray White Rural Guyra and Colin Say and Company, Glen Innes, with Shad Bailey, Colin Say, and Blake O’Reilly, Ray White, at the rostrum.