The Cook family of Barana Simmental stud at Coolah welcomed rain and one of the largest crowds of people on-property at their annual sale last Friday.
This coupled with more than 80 sale viewers opting for the online platform of AuctionsPlus created what was described by many as the best sale the stud had seen.
Offering 31 Simmental bulls, three Angus bulls, nine pregnancy tested in calf (PTIC) heifers, 15 PTIC purebred commercial cows and two Shorthorn bulls, all Simmental and Angus bulls, heifers and cows were cleared. Two shorthorn bulls remained but it was thought that these would clear quickly.
The Simmental bulls averaged $7322 and topped at $16,000 while the Angus averaged $4666 with a top of $6000. Nine PTIC Simmental heifers averaged $7111 and the purebred commercial cows averaged $3133 per head.
The top price of $16,000 went for the two-year-old Simmental Barana Pierson boasting the sale's third highest weight at 868 kilograms, an eye muscle area (EMA) of 136 square centimetres, a rib fat of six millimetres and P8 fat of seven millimetres.
Stud principal Peter Cook had admired the bull since he was a calf and claimed he was everything they had tried to achieve in the last 40 years.
He was purchased by the Finger family, Lake Lofty, Dysart, Queensland online. They run a commercial enterprise and a small Simmental stud.
First time stud buyers and volume purchasers, Murray and Melinda Sinclair and their four children Gabby, Mitchell, Macka and Tristan from Thoona, Victoria had been on a family holiday in close proximity to the sale and took the opportunity to attend.
They had selected 12 bulls and were able to secure seven.
"We needed bulls and we particularly wanted red Simmental," Mr Sinclair said.
The family run a commercial based enterprise of 500 breeders and operate on a two calving system. They hoped Simmental bulls would prove a worthwhile inclusion.
Stud principal Peter Cook thought it was a very positive sale featuring new and repeat buyers.
"We are very humbled by the support we have been shown," he said.
"We thought the line of bulls were very even, soft, well fleshed, structurally sound, easy doing and are over the moon with the amount of buyers.
"The stud females sold exceptionally well. We have never offered PTIC females, they are normally sold unjoined at our sale. It was great to see other studs buying them."
The sale was conducted by Elders and Davidson Cameron and Co with Paul Dooley as auctioneer.
Read next week's The Land for the full report.
