Fields of golden canola crops provided a vastly different backdrop for the Warragundi Poll Hereford sale at Currbubula on Friday and the final result was equally reflective of the renewed optimism in the market.
The Kelley family were very pleased to clear 24 of their 29 bulls for a $5291 average and top of $10,000 on two occasions.
All of their heifers found new homes with 16 commercial females averaging $1637 and 14 stud females all making $1500.
It was the British class winning Sire Shootout bull, Warragundi Pasadena, who reached what many would say was a bargain price of $10,000 and was secured by the Cascade Poll Hereford stud, Currabubula, in partnership with Bill and Kathy Lambert, Taronga Poll Herefords, Victoria.
The two-year-old son of Sevenbardot Cooper L48 out of the Sevenbardot Bonnie L127 weighed 948 kilograms with a 128 square centimetre eye muscle area and 7.3 per cent intramuscular fat scan.
He was a frame score seven and had genomic estimated breeding values in the top one per cent for EMA. He was also above breed average for all selection index values.
Cascade stud manager Jack Smith inspected the bulls the week prior and was impressed by Pasadena's overall EBVs, pedigree and structure.
He will spend the spring in NSW before going for autumn joining in the south.
"We thought he could have made a lot more than that," Mr Smith said.
Warragundi's Matt Kelley said it was a thrill to have someone of Mr Smith's calibre secure one of their bulls for the first time.
"It is a massive improvement on last year," he said.
"We have got some very loyal clients there that really stepped up and some new ones, which is great.
"This is our third sale and we have invested heavily in the genetics and that has meant we have been able to put together a good line of bulls that some pretty good cattleman have been very complimentary about."
"The first two sales in the worst drought and this one in a pandemic, so we have had the challenge thrown up at us a bit," Deb Kelley added.
Pasadena and Warragundi Patriot were bound for the Sydney Royal Show and the family had high hopes for them before it was cancelled. Stable mate Patriot equaled the top price and was knocked down to Duncan Priestley, Gilgandra, through AuctionsPlus.
Also operating online was David Hill, Omeo, Victoria, who secured five bulls to average $4800 including the Coonabarabran Show supreme exhibit Warragundi Pioneer along with the first Injemira Anzac L027 son to be offered, Warragundi Pittsburgh.
Ringside Gananny Partnership, Quirindi, purchased three bulls to average $4000 and a pen of four Warragundi commercial females for $1600.
Their competition on the remaining 12 commercial heifers was Rawson Pastoral Services, Rosenthal, Willow Tree, who paid a $1650 average.
In the stud female offering of 14 heifers, all were secured by Sam Hudson, Applegrove, Duri, for $1500 each.
The sale was conducted by Elders and Davidson Cameron and Co with Brian Kennedy of Elders taking on the auctioneering duties.
Read the full report in The Land next week.