Hereford Australia Wodonga National Sale hits $55,000 high for Paradise bull

This year's AuctionsPlus helmsman style sale saw an almost full clearance with 100 of 110 lots selling to average $9040 and top at $55,000.

That was compared with a $40,000 top at last year's sale, an 81 per cent clearance and an average of $7078.

Greg and Bronwyn Peel, Yarawa, Batlow, couldn't believe the prices they were seeing when Yarawa South Paradise P112 reached the sale high and found a new home in Tasmania.

A decision to "have one more bid" paid off for successful purchasers Andrew and Caroline McLauchlan, Valma Poll Herefords, Poll Dorset and White Suffolk stud, Whitemore, and Cam Clements, Nova Poll Herefords, Ridgley.

"I'm wrapped we have been able to get him; two little Tassie studs that haven't been in the limelight for a little while," Mr McLauchlan said.

The 20-month-old homozygous poll bull weighed 895 kilograms with a scrotal circumference of 45 centimetres and was one of the first Australia drop sons by American sire, KCF Bennett Homeland C34. He was out of Yarawa South Ruby L104.

The McLauchlans were placing the bids while staying in constant contact with Mr Clements.

While they hadn't seen the bull, other people's positive descriptions and his video and photos gave them plenty of confidence.

Mr McLauchlan appreciated his softness, deep fleshing, shape and carcase attributes.

With at least nine estimated breeding values in the top 20 per cent of the breed average, including top 10 for calving ease daughters, eye muscle area and intramuscular fat, he was the perfect balance for both operations and a bull Mr McLauchlan had been looking to find for some time.

"We probably went a little higher then planned but he is such a really good bull, such a soft easy doing bull," he said.

"Both of us have got very good cow herds and we wanted to keep that going and we wanted a soft easy doing muscly bloke with a beautiful dark colour. I think he is going to complement our female lines.

"Our main focus is trying get a bit more strength into our bull markets here and we will probably lift the profile of our cattle a bit more then what we probably have been doing on the back of this bloke."

They plan to collect semen on the mainland to be sold in the future before he goes to work in the two herds, each of 100 cows or less.

Despite only placing second in his show class Yarawa South Paradise P112 had attracted plenty of inspections and phone calls, Mr Peel said.

"It's way in front of any price we have ever got," he said.

"We were expecting maybe $20,000 or something like that, this is probably double."

Calving down 45 stud females a year, Mr Peel came across advertising for his sire KCF Bennett Homeland C34 and decided to purchase 20 straws of semen in the bull.

They conducted a small artificial insemination program and had two bulls in the first drop with some younger bulls coming through next year.

While Mr Peel has now used all of that semen, he did retain straws in his new sale topper and may look to utilise those genetics.

"He has always been the best bull in that drop; very well muscled, really good carcase bull," he said.

"We had the fires through here...we lost the second house and a lot of fencing but all the sheds were alright and we didn't lose hay or stock. This is a really nice reward."

Interestingly the second top price bull was also by KCF genetics.

The $42,000 Tarcombe Encore Q053, a 13-month-old 668 kilogram son of KCF Bennett Encore Z311, was offered by Tarcombe Herefords, Ruffy, Victoria and sold to the Pearce family, YavenVale Herefords, Adelong. He had placed second in his show class.

The recently awarded grand champion bull of the sale, Kanimbla Power Town P067, offered by Kanimbla Livestock, Holbrook, sold for $30,000 to 3R Livestock, Loomberah and Bowen Downs Poll Hereford stud, Barraba.

The sale was conducted by Nutrien Livestock and Elders through AuctionsPlus.

Read the full report in The Land news week.