Vendors and buyers of the Glen Innes Hereford bull sale were left delighted with the final results of the diamond celebration event on Friday.
Celebrating 75 years, a total of 36 bulls sold under the hammer from the 49 offered to average $6777 but an additional three sales afterwards brought a new average of $6564.
Cashed up commercial cattlemen competed against prominent studs and weren't afraid to spend up big for the top end of the offering.
Courallie J L285 Ledger P022 from the Hann family, Upper Horton, was knocked down for a sale topping $17,000 and was bound for the herd of Jolly and Liz Coward and Lisa Daley, Wirrialpa, Hernani.
The 875 kilogram polled son of Wirruna Ledger L285 was out of one of the stud's best female families in Courallie J Minerva E041 and had P8 and rib fat scans of 13 and nine millimetres, an eye muscle area of 133 square centimetres and scrotal circumference of 40 centimetres.
At 23 months his estimated breeding values for 200-day, 400-day, 600-day, milk, scrotal size, carcase weight, eye muscle area, rib and rump fat, and all Hereford indexes were in the top 10 per cent of the breed.
The Coward family were running up to 500 breeders, predominantly Herefords, before drought and bushfires forced a reduction of their numbers. Feedlots were their main market but when the season permitted cattle could be sent to the meatworks from 15 to 18 months.
Mr Coward purchased bulls from the sale last year and was a repeat client to Courallie J having been impressed with the genetics before.
"That bull wasn't overdone, not a monster, had good neat feet and good conformation," he said.
"The figures were impressive and the figures back through his pedigree too."
He would head home with an Emu Holes Bolt P107 for $7000 too.
The draft of five Courallie J bulls averaged $6600 and left vendor David Hann over the moon with the results.
In what was the stud's second year back at the 75th anniversary sale, Mr Hann thanked the committee, vendors and buyers and would be back again next year.
They intend on collecting 100 straws of semen from the sale-topper for use in an artificial insemination program this year.
"He just had a very rounded set of figures on him but he was a bull that matched the figures," he said.
"He has been one of our best young bulls since he was born.
"We are just over the moon to top a sale in an anniversary year. To get $17,000 for a bull is a good day any day so it was a very pleasing result."
The day before it was sale-opener and horned bull, Kylandee Packsaddle P003, from the Thomas family, Elsmore, who was the class winner of the intermediate Hereford bull, grand champion Hereford and yardsmen's pick.
Bidding started at $8000 for the 24-month-old 1055 kilogram bull before Chris Lisle, Tummel Herefords, Walcha, landed the winning $14,000 bid.
Packsaddle P003 had sale prestige in his blood as a maternal brother to the 2017 grand champion and 2018 yardsmen's pick. He was by Talbalba Line Up L203 and out of Booyong Cora F27.
Kylandee's continued Glen Innes show and sale dominance featuring five grand champions in eight years, was even more impressive given their stud herd only features about 20 females.
Vendor Brad Thomas said the bull had the versatility to perform in straight or crossbreeding herds but they were very pleased to see him heading for stud duties.
Their draft of five bulls averaged $10,400 including a $13,000 price tag for Kylandee Prospect to Rob Drew, Camlea, Glencoe.
The 960 kilogram 25-month-old son of WRL Lancelot was admired for his soft flesh and temperament and would be put to work with Mr Drew's Santa cross cows.
He had successfully used a Hereford Santa cross for some 30 years and topped Walcha weaner sales.
"It just gets the weight into them and puts a bit of hybrid vigour into them," he said.
"I like to buy a well-coloured bulls with good pigment. They have got lovely feet on them these Kylandee bulls."
Other high prices included $14,000 paid for horned bull Dundee All Towns presented by Dundee Eco Park Herefords of Dundee and sold to D Cook, Wauchope.
The youngest vendor of the day Riley Bacon, Ownaview Herefords, Yanban, Qld, was smiling as KL Austin, Armidale, paid $4000 for Ownaview Performer P008 while his brother Lachlan Bacon received $8000 for Ownaview Storm P010 to DS and MC Gleeson, Glen Hill, Bundarra.
AuctionsPlus was successful on the day with bulls bound for as far as Victoria.
Tenterfield-based HJ and FC Hamilton had the largest order of the day with two Supple bulls and a Wendouree sire averaging $4000. Queensland's LA Palma Grazing of Taroom secured a Kylandee and a Swanvale bull to average $9500 while TJ and KJ Wilson, Dyraaba, also purchased two head to average $4000.
The vendors at the 75th annual sale were Bahreenah Poll Herefords, Braelyn Herefords, Courallie J Herefords, Dundee Echo Park Herefords, Emu Holes, Jindalee, Kylandee Herefords, Ownaview Herefords, Reevesdale Poll Herefords, Supple Whiteface, Swanvale Herefords, Tahlan Poll Herefords, Tummel, Welray and Wendouree Poll Herefords.
The sale was run by Elders with Andrew Meara and Brain Kennedy sharing the auctioneering duties.