Strong interest at a recent Northern Beef Week field day flowed through to the sale ring for the Cascade Poll Hereford and Angus stud on Wednesday when 73 registered bidders gathered for a chance to secure one of the 68 bulls on offer.
Auctioneer Paul Dooley wasted no timing in selling all but three of the 12-month-old bulls under the hammer and in the end cleared 20 Q Poll Hereford bulls to average $15,450, five R Poll Hereford bulls averaging $10,600, 34 two-year-old and 18-month-old Angus bulls averaging $14,323, and six 12-month-old Angus bulls for a $7166 average.
It was a major lift on last year's $9207 average for the entire draft.
The Poll Hereford draft peaked at $26,000 for Cascade Longford Q079 to Greg and Del Rees of The Ranch at Tomingley, fresh off the back of their sale topping Dubbo Hereford National success in June.
The couple had been looking for a new stud sire and found it in the 830 kilogram son of $17,000 Kymarney Longford and Cascade Irish Maid L091 who was a moderate birthweight bull with good growth and high intramuscular fat estimated breeding values.
He had a raw eye muscle area of 115 square centimetres, P8 and rib fat depth of 18 and 10 millimetres and 40 centimetre scrotum.
Del Rees said they had seen his sire at the 2017 Wodonga Hereford National where he won his class, and the dam was also from good pedigree.
"He is moderate birthweight and he has got very good milk figures which is one of our number one priorities," she said.
"We intend to use him over heifers and we like his length, softness and doability.
"As soon as we saw him, we knew he was the bull here we were interested in."
"Del has done a lot of homework and he was the one we picked out," Mr Rees added.
The Angus draft reached a high of $20,000 on two occasions; first for Cascade Dead Center Q50 secured by S.G Wilson and Co from Gowrie and then for Cascade Dead Center Q70 to Janet and Tony Gall, Wilson's Creek, Uralla.
Both were sons of American bull, Quaker Hill Dead Center, and were suitable for heifers.
Speaking on behalf of S.G Wilson and Co, Matt Wilson said they would normally finish cattle from their Shorthorn, Hereford and Angus herd but current prices had seen them move to supplying the feeder market.
Menawhile, the Galls are rebuilding their commercial Angus herd after being reduced to a few weaners and six cows in the drought.
Now up to about 80 head, Q70 would be used with heifers while they also paid $18,000 for Cascade Might and Power Q81 to be used with cows.
The support of repeat client Leppington Pastoral Company, West Wyalong, didn't go unnoticed as they secured eight bulls averaging $15,250 while Okeview Pastoral Company of Collector and Wagga Wagga purchased five averaging $14,200.
Local support was evident but Queenslanders were yet again very active including Hornet Bank Pastoral Company, Taroom with three bulls averaging $18,666.
Cascade spokesperson Jack Smith described the day as an unbelievable result and thanked all the buyers; the few new faces and large number of repeat clients.
For the first time the stud offered a draft of genuine yearling bulls as people look to rebuild.
"It was more because a lot of people are joining heifers at that 300 to 320 kilogram range and to supply that market," Mr Smith said.
The sale was conducted by Davidson Cameron and Co for stud principal Karen Arnott of KEA Farms Pty Ltd.
Read the full report in The Land next week.
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
