They had already seen a range of seasons in their short life at Manchee Agriculture but many of the sale bulls at the Yamburgan Shorthorn sale on Wednesday were set to see even more countryside.
Interest at the 26th annual sale from interstate buyers, some as far as Tasmania and South Australia, helped clear 67 of 77 bulls at the auction near Narrabri.
A total of 55 Shorthorn bulls sold to average $6136, with 11 of those being yearlings that met a $6363 average, while 12 Durham tropical bulls averaged $4333.
At least 28 per cent of the draft sold online through AuctionsPlus to buyers in Victoria, Clermont in Queensland, King Island, Tasmania, and locally at Armidale, Inverell and Merriwa.
Stud principal John Manchee said coming out of a pretty dry pinch a lot of local clients had lower breeder numbers but about 80 per cent of the purchasers were repeat supporters.
"It was a good opportunity for everyone to pick up reasonable priced bulls on today's market," he said.
"The yearling bulls hadn't had as tough a run as the spring bulls and that was quite evident on the day but the yearling bulls sold pretty much to normal."
The performance recorded yearling bulls attracted the most interest and it was no surprise the $18,000 top money came for one of the best weight for age bulls in the drop, Yamburgan Kookaburra Q50.
He found a home with Brian Mann, Manaroo Shorthorns, Walbundrie, who was looking for a sire and found the "standout" while inspecting the draft.
The Yamburgan Kookaburra J214 son out of a Yamburgan Mayflower H92 cow combined muscle, width and softness and was in the top 20 per cent of the American data recording system, IGS Expected Progeny Differences, for weaning weight, yearling weight, maternal calving ease, maternal weaning weight and yield grade.
He weighed 636 kilograms with a 104 square centimetre eye muscle area combined with P8 and rib fat depths of 11 and seven millimetres and a 6.3 per cent intramuscular fat.
An $11,000 price tag was paid three times.
Firstly it was Deepdene Pastoral, Kyeamba Station, Wagga Wagga, who secured a Yamburgan Monkira son in Yamburgan Bedourie P38 who boasted a very high stayability EPD referring to reproductive longevity. They also secured a Yamburgan Anzac L137 son for $5000.
Later in the sale the Bowman family, Curragundi, Dunedoo, paid $11,000 for Yamburgan Anzac P233, a standout Yamburgan Ossie E65 son from one of the stud's best producing female lines with a very low calving interval.
A Victorian AuctionsPlus buyer also parted with $11,000 for Yamburgan Zeus P159.
Repeat buyers don't come much more loyal than Neville Swain, Kilphysic Pastoral Company, Carroll, who had rarely missed a sale since buying his first Yamburgan bull at the inaugural auction.
Back then he was paying about $3500 for a top grass fed bull and brought his son, Ben and his two boys, Charlie, 13, and Sam, 10, along this year.
Neville secured Yamburgan General P207 for $5000 while Ben purchased three averaging $4333.
Diesel Shephad, Wallanba, Meandarra, secured four bulls to average $4250 and featured low maintenance sires and heifer bulls.
At least six bulls were bound for King Island and Tasmanian buyers through AuctionsPlus, with Mr Manchee receiving a lot of interest from Shorthorn breeders there this yer.
"Over the last couple of years there has been more and more enquiry for shorthorn genetics down there so that was very pleasing," he said.
A $6000 high indexing Yamburgan Anzac L137 son and a bigger framed $5000 Yamburgan Spartan N27 son were secured by MR Newton, Kingston, South Australia.
Also joining them on the truck over was the high marbling Yamburgan Anzac P259 for $4000 for ER and GF Flint, Kingston, SA.
Almost all of the Durham Tropical bull line, a Santa Gertrudis Shorthorn composite, were bound for Wanaring in the north west for Peter Hughes of Thurloo Downs.
His eight purchases averaged $4375 and would be used in his Santa cross herd that was enjoying a rain-fuelled season this year.
While he had purchased Durham Tropicals in 2017, Mr Hughes said the drought had impacted the plans and opportunity to see their true performance.
Holt Livingston, Moree, secured three bulls averaging $5000.
The sale was conducted by HMA Narrabri and Nutrien Ag Solutions Narrabri with Paul Dooley as auctioneer.
Read the full report in The Land next week.