Glenlea Beef Charolais heifer makes $26,500 in Dawn of the Decade sale

Only 21 successful buyers were needed for the Northern NSW-based stud, along with a small offering from Calmview Charolais at Fernleigh, to clear all but five live lots from the total offering of 144.

The sale began with eight elite weaner heifers that averaged $8937 and topped at $26,500, five of their dams (sold outright) averaged $7600 and topped at $12,000 while flushes in the three remaining elite heifer dams all sold for $5000 each.

So strong was the sale that when combining those five elite heifers and their dams they averaged $17,650 together for a cumulative top of $38,500 while the other three heifers and their mother's embryo flushes topped at $12,500 together and averaged $12,166 together.

The 42 cow and calf lots sold to top at $11,000 and averaged $5940, 10 joined mature cows sold to $6500 to average $4800, five Glenlea joined heifers topped at $6000 to average $5000 while 10 heifers from guest vendor Calmview Charolais sold to $4000 to average $3550.

Glenlea sold 30 out of 31 unjoined heifers to a top of $4500 and $3516 average while all five from Calmview sold to average $3000.

Additionally 12 frozen embryos sold to a top of $1750 twice.

It was just four lots into the AuctionsPlus sale when Glenlea Isabella 14 made the high price thanks to the bidding of Daniel and Ashlea Humphrey, Ashdan Charolais, Johns River.

The homozygous polled daughter of Glenlea Just Red out of Glenlea Isabella 2 had a moderate birthweight estimated breeding value with top 10 per cent growth traits, carcase weight, fat and intramuscular fat.

Glenlea was so impressed by the female they believed "one could build an entire stud around her".

That's exactly the role her new owners intend for her too as they look to grow their stud which currently sits at around 15 elite females including a number of Glenlea genetics that have proven doability on the coast.

Mr Humphrey said her growth, structure and breed leading EBVs were hard to fault and they would flush her as a heifer with the confidence of her family history.

"We have got a calf on the ground by her father at home and we have seen her dam," he said.

"We hadn't got a chance to see her but with her background and history of donor cows on her side, we know what her sire can produce being a red factor and breed leading EBVs.

"We just wanted the best out there; the leading genetics Glenlea had to offer.

"We have got high aspirations for our stud and what direction we are going to take it and we've got to start with the best."

Glenlea stud principal Roderick Binny will show the heifer at Beef 21 in Rockhampton, but the Humphreys will have to tune in remotely as Ashlea is due to give birth.

The Humphreys also paid $6500 for the heifer Glenlea Charol 75 and $11,000 for Orara Waterfall Glenlea Charol 6 and $10,000 Glenlea Josie 3, both cow and calf units.

Just as impressive was the $12,000 paid for the mother of the top price heifer, Glenlea Isabella 2.

The proven elite third generation donor was secured by Wildes Pastoral, Aberdeen, who also paid $7500 for the eight-month-old heifer, Glenlea Janet 126.

Chris Hall, Coffs Harbour, secured 19 lots from the sale while Grant Taylor at Coolangatta took home 16 lots.

Other animals were bound for Queensland, parts of NSW, South Australia and Victoria.

The sale was conducted by Elders.

Read the full report in The Land next week.