Western Australian and Victorian stud interest drove up prices at the seventh annual Wormbete Simmentals sale, Illabo, with invitation to Stuart and Samantha Moeck, Valley Creek Simmentals, Bowral.
John and Nicole Hopkins, Wormbete sold 10 bulls of 17 offered for an average of $4900 and top of $8000. A further four bulls were sold after auction for $4500 each. All nine of their heifers offered were sold for an average of $5056 and top of $8000.
Stuart and Samantha Moeck, Valley Creek Simmentals sold five of their six bulls offered for an average of $4600 and top price of $6000. They sold seven of their eight heifers for an average of $4500 and top price of $8500.
It was a Valley Creek black Simmental heifer, VC Leah P021, that attracted the $8500 price tag, selling to Victorian stud, Pinaroo Hills Simmentals, Bunyip.
The Homozygous polled and Heterozygous black heifer was sired by Valley Creek Marksman and was in the top three per cent of the breed for eye muscle area (+5.0).
The heifer was pregnancy-tested-in-calf, AI'd to LCDR Witness 541C in October and was run with Valley Creek North.
Valley Creek co-principal Stuart Moeck said the heifer had always stood out.
"There was a little bit of interest in her before the sale but we didn't expect her to attract that sort of money," Mr Moeck said.
"It's great she went to a stud that is just starting to breed black Simmentals."
Purchaser Vanessa Wenn of Pinaroo Hills Simmentals said they picked the heifer for her maternal strength and growth patterns.
She said they were looking to diversify their stud by introducing Black Simmentals.
"We reduced our herd back in 2018 when the season was quite bad, we were looking to increase numbers and bring some new genetics in," Ms Wenn said.
"The Gippsland market is getting bigger and bigger for blacks so this is a starting point for us."
Pinaroo Hills Simmentals also purchased a second, traditional Simmental, heifer from Valley Creek for $4500.
The top priced bull was Wormbete Prime Minister P22, a Homozygous polled traditional Simmental sold for $8000 to Western Australian stud, Topweight Simmentals, Margaret River.
Wormbete Prime Minister was sired by PHS Bankroll and was out of last year's top-priced bull's dam, Wormbete Judy.
He had a birth weight of +1.0, 200-day-growth of +21 and 400-day-growth of +33.
Wormbete co-principal, John Hopkins said he had been a soft, easy-doing bull all his life.
"He's dead quiet, a pleasure to have on the place and a pleasure to look at," Mr Hopkins said.
Wormbete Prime Minister was an AI twin but an injury caused his full-brother to be withdrawn from the sale.
Purchaser, Audrey Weightman of Topweight Simmentals said they were looking for an outcross Homozygous poll bull.
"Hopefully he's easy-doing, our type of animal and will consolidate the poll base of our herd," Mrs Weightman said.
It was Topweight's first purchase from Wormbete but Mrs Weightman said the two families had known each other for years.
The volume buyer in the heifer section was I and P Barnard Pty Ltd of Tumut who took home seven heifers, four from Wormbete and three from Valley Creek.
The sale was conducted by Nutrien with Hamish McGeogh taking the bids.