Wakefield Charolais bulls sold to $10,500 and averaged $5062 with an 86.5 per cent clearance rate at the stud’s annual sale last Friday, on property at Wollomombi via Armidale.
Wakefield bulls are best known on the coast, where they are proven doers, so it made sense that that top priced bulls travelled east.
Most of the draft was sent over the Eastern Fall to properties from the Richmond to Macleay Valleys.
The top bid fell to repeat buyer Tony Clark, Woodford Island, who bought the 22 month old Wakefield Major Impact, by PCC Sudden Impact from a Wakefield Ace dam which was a National Allbreeds intermediate heifer winner in 2015.
The 828kg bull with 46 centimetre scrotal circumference, top five per cent for the breed, and the largest in the draft, also presented with an eye muscle area of 123 square centimetres.
Mr Clark, a fourth generation producer on Woodford Island, will use the bull over Charolais and Charbray females.
Micah Middelbosch, T MMM Grazing, Nymboida, bought four Charolais bulls to a top of $8000 for Wakefield Main Chance by Wakefield Jack Flash, 802 kilograms with the second highest EMA in the draft at 131 square centimetres.
Dean and Allison Mitchell, Bellbrook on the Macleay, bought three Charolais bulls to a top of $4500 for Wakefield MacDonald by Kindara Destiny. The Mitchells will put him over Brangus cows to producer terminal progeny.
“We buy a bull each year from Wakefield said Mr Mitchell. “They handle the coast well and don’t break down.”
Another repeat buyer Melissa Prior, Bellbrook, bought two Charolais bulls to a top of $5500 for the stretchy homozygous polled Wakefield Mawson by champion Canadian sire MVY Xplorer.
Repeat buyer Adam Chapman, Fineflower via Grafton, bought two Charolais bulls for his program and will put them to first cross Brahman/ Hereford cows to produce terminal steers and heifers.
“They’re good quality bull and they do the job,” he said. “Greg and Jenny are great people who take a real interest in what you do.”
Wakefield Angus bulls averaged $4150 with 7 out of 13 sold topping at $4500 for Wakefield Emporer M313 by Te Mania Emperor and going to repeat buyers the Ireland family, “Beatom Vale” Walcha, who bought three Angus bulls and two Charolais bulls from Wakefield. Rob Ireland said he would put the Angus bulls to heifers while the Charolais bulls would go over Angus/ Charolais with steer calves grown out and grass finished, anti-biotic free.
Charolais show heifers sold to an average of $3500 for four out of four immediately after the sale while two out of three embryo lots sold to a top of $1250 through Elite Livestock online.
Taking the bids were Mitch Donovan, Ray Donovan livestock agents Grafton and Mark Haywood, Ray White Rural at Kempsey.