Jamberoo's Bernie McGlinchey and his wife Linda have a good eye for a Limousin and were prepared to pay the equal top at the annual Moss Vale Southern Cross Limousin sale at the Moss Vale Sale Complex.
Mr McGlinchey 'stayed local' by purchasing Deneen Nirvana from nearby Deneen Limousin stud's Max Rossi, based at Albion Park, for $4000.
Mr McGlinchey said he liked the strong buttocks of Deneen Nirvana, an apricot bull, described by auctioneer Nick Harton, auctioneering for Jim Hindmarsh and Co, as a "thick and deep bull". The bull weighed in at 945kg, the heaviest bull at the sale. He had a scrotal (cm)/PTIC (months) score of 38.
"I like the rear muscle in a bull," Mr McGlinchey said. He breeds vealers from the Limousin bulls breeding them up to 344kg for sale.
Mr McGlinchey was accompanied at the sale by his daughter Grace.
The sale brought buyers from as far away as Canberra in what was a very difficult market.
In total there were six bulls of 15 lots sold for $22,500 at an average of $3750. Only three lots of the 17 females on offer sold, for a total of $5500.
This compared to last year's sale when 13 of the 16 bulls on offer were sold for a total of $45,500, at an average of $3250. Also four females of five lots sold, grossing $10,800 for an average of $2700.
As one observer said "people aren't buying bulls if they can't afford to feed them". The Southern Highlands is also going through a protracted drought.
Auctioneer Nick Harton said it was somewhat disappointing as many of the bulls were equal if not better than those presented at previous sales.
Vendor Neil McCracken, Calderwood Limousin, sold two bulls for equal tops of $4000, both to Tony Kelly.
Despite a difficult season in the Southern Highlands, his other farm at Culcairn was having a good season, Mr McCracken said.
Some quality females though put to sale were hard to sell at the $2000 passed-in mark, with one high-quality Calderwood female with calf was passed in at $3500.
The sale was conducted by Jim Hindmarsh and Co.