It took less than 90 minutes for the Bowen Poll Hereford and Angus bull sale to cement itself in the history books when 107 bulls grossed more than $2 million at Barraba on Thursday.
Buyers had to overcome muddy dirt roads and flowing creek crossings to get to the Peake family's on-property sale complex but they knew it would be well worth it for what was on offer at the 26th annual auction.
The demand for their draft of 61 Angus and 46 Poll Herefords was so strong that those in attendance could be heard pre-sale admitting they would need to increase their budget if they were to be successful from the 109 registered bidders from Birdsville in Queensland to King Island at Tasmania.
First it was the Poll Hereford draft who set a new breed average of $17,434 before the Angus draft averaged $20,081, just shy of the breed's $20,384 national record average set for 78 bulls by Millah Murrah in 2020.
Top price buyers in both breeds were not only studs but previous sale topping bidders.
Poll Hereford and the fourth bull of the day, Bowen Quote Q162, was secured for $48,000 by the Holcombe family of Rayleigh Poll Herefords at Narrabri who paid the top price of $70,000 at the 2016 sale.
Robyn Holcombe was assisted by Nutrien's John Settree on the day to take home the son of Bowen Magistrate M241 and Bowen Matchless J169 who weighed 860 kilograms boasting short gestation, high growth, eye muscle area and intramuscular fat estimated breeding values along with positive fat numbers.
Ms Holcombe said the 21-month-old would be put straight to work with cows.
"We had a good look at all the bulls last Sunday," she said.
"He has got a good set of numbers, he has got the phenotype and I think he will keep a balanced influence on our herd.
"I think they (Bowen) always can offer something a little bit different and as a stud we are looking for different genetics to introduce for our own clients. They had a really good run of bulls this year."
It was later confirmed that Mawarra Genetics, Victoria, who had been losing bidder on the bull had also joined as owners.
Quote Q162 was one of the first 10 sale sons by the $64,000 Bowen Magistrate M241 that went on to average $24,600.
They also included Bowen Q C Q043 who sold for $44,000 on AuctionsPlus to a Nutrien Wagga Wagga client.
The Angus draft topped at $36,000 for Peakes Bowen Precidence Q760 to Mountain Valley Pastoral Company, Coolatai, who had also bought top price Bowen bulls before.
The son of Kidman Precedence K72 scanned the highest for eye muscle area in his mob at +4.7 combined with calving ease and good intramuscular fat.
Stud principal Stephen Peake said the result was certainly humbling and while they were confident in the breeding stock they put up for sale, they never expected such a high average.
"It's a lifetime of breeding, 26 years in the Angus and since 1963 in the Herefords, and we are pedantic about what we do and all bulls have to kick a lot of goals, tick a lot of boxes to get in the sale," he said.
"We try to make it a mark of quality if they get in the sale, we have high standards."
At the conclusion of the sale he told the crowd the sale result had made the hard work feeding in drought worth while.
"These bulls were born on dirt, in a dust storm probably, then they have been to Warrnambool (Victoria) on agistment on their mothers and now they are bogged up to their knees so it just shows the structural soundness," he told The Land.
"But our plan moving forward is our whole family is keen on the whole program and what we are doing and they are all involved, the two boys and their one wife and one fiancé so the plan is to expand this bull sale."
Okeview Pastoral from Rockview at Scone continued their bulk buying endeavours at northern whiteface sales and secured 19 Poll Herefords averaging $14,052.
Not far behind with 14 bulls from both breeds averaging $20,285 was Leonie Lawson of Bradleys Flats Pastoral at Black Springs.
Ms Lawson normally runs 2000 to 3000 head of Angus and Poll Hereford cattle alongside sheep and had been buying from Bowen for many years.
Originally her dad had supplied a bullock market and she had previously turned cattle off as weaners but the performance of Bowen genetics had allowed her to build a solid relationship with Queensland feedlots producing feeder steers.
"They are done early, they go ahead and they have big weaning weights," she said.
"I was looking for maternal traits, growth and the meat on the bulls, bone; just everything really."
"What Leonie's operation has found is buying cattle that you can still get your target weights early but not lose that maternal strength in your females you have retained," Nutrien's Mark Barton said.
"Being able to get that power but keep that maternal softness, the milk and the doability in the females."
Also making an appearance after buying up big in 2020 was Birdsville-based Brook Pastoral Company who bought one bull but are expected to fill a large order from upcoming sales.
The sale failed to soften right until the last bull which was knocked down for $27,000 to Bradleys Flats.
Nutrien and Hart Rural Agencies were agents on the day with Paul Dooley the auctioneer.
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.
