Kenmere Charolais sold bulls to a record top price of $16,000, twice, at its 7th annual on-property sale on Friday.
The Holbrook stud sold 31 of the 44 bulls offered for an average price of $6565.
The first of the top-priced bulls was Kenmere Padlock, an artificially insemination-bred son of LT Long Distance, sold to return clients CM Pastoral Company, Moama.
Stud co-principal Ann-Marie Collins said Kenmere Padlock was out of a very good heifer line.
The two-year-old was a first calf of Kenmere Ping L90E whose genetics go back to a foundation sire for the stud, that being Kenmere Dakota Spur.
Weighing 982 kilograms, Kenmere Padlock was in the top one per cent for gestation length, with a breeding value of -7.9, and top five per cent for birth weight (-3.5) and milk (+14).
He had the fifth highest weaning weight (+8) in the drop and the second highest 400-day-weight ratio (+16).
Purchaser, Ben Whitelegg, CM Pastoral, Moama, said they liked the bull's depth and softness, his calving ease (CE DIR +8.6) and growth figures standing out to them amongst the estimated breeding values.
CM Pastoral was also the volume buyer, purchasing nine bulls for an average of $7666.
Mr Whitelegg said the company used Kenmere Charolais bulls in its Santa Gertrudis herd.
"We run Santa Gertrudis cows on our Ivanhoe block, all the young cattle come back to Moama and we finish them ourselves or sell to feedlotters," Mr Whitelegg said.
"Last year we didn't buy a lot of bulls because it was so tough, we're trying to get our numbers back up now and in that Ivanhoe country they break down, so we have to turn them over and get new lines in to keep them going."
The second $16,000 bull was Kenmere Pharaoh P143, sired by Elstow Lightfingers and bought by repeat clients, David and Heather Wigg, Maffra, Victoria.
Mrs Collins said he was one she picked very early on as a great heifer bull.
"The female line, Kenmere Navaro K77, is a beautifully put together small female which is the type of animal we need," Mrs Collins said.
She said the mother of his dam was the senior champion Charolais at the Melbourne Royal in 2019.
"She's done a really good job and he'll do a really good job for the buyers," Mrs Collins said.
The Wiggs were another volume buyer, purchasing eight bulls for an average of $6437.
Other top sales included Kenmere Pablo, which sold for $14,000 to Queensland Charolais stud, Palgrove, at Dalveen, via AuctionsPlus.
Kenmere Pablo, born to a heifer, was a homozygous poll son of VPI Free Lunch 708T and out of Kenmere Perline L41E.
Kenmere Primemover, who had the highest EMA figure of +2.1 of the draft, sold for $11,000 to Peter Stanford, Cootamundra.
Primemover put on 1.65 kilograms a day on spring pastures over a period of three months and his half-brother was retained by Kenmere as a stud sire.
Buyers were mostly from Victoria, in particular the Gippsland and the North-East regions, with NSW's Riverina also represented.
The sale was conducted by Nutrien with Peter Godbolt, Nutrien, taking the bids.
