Hazeldean rounded off their mammoth bull-selling season with a stud-high average for their Cooma Spring sale.
All up 113 Angus bulls went under the hammer, a total clearance achieving an average of $15,150 and top price of $29,000.
"It's a huge result really, it's great to get a big result especially from the home sale," Hazeldean's Ed Bradley said.
The Cooma-based stud have sold close to 550 bulls in total this year, including at their Drillham, Queensland sale, which achieved an average of $17,055 over 161 bulls, and in Tamworth, which saw 74 bulls average $14,027.
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Hazeldean co-principal Bea Bradley Litchfield said the bulls on offer at Cooma had been early-weaned during the drought at the start of 2019.
"That was a very tough year so they've come a very long way to develop into the bulls we presented today and we're very proud of them," she said.
Hazeldean Q843 lived up to expectations, topping the sale at $29,000, sold to Tom Groggin Station, Tom Groggin and Brindstock Beef, Lucyvale, Vic.
The 18-month-old was by Hazeldean-bred sire Hazeldean Magnum M586 and out of a daughter of Sydgen Black Pearl 2006.
"Magnum is probably the best sire of the whole Q cohort, which we're really pleased with, he's just that curve bending, low birth, high growth, good carcase, he's sound and attractive to look and they've got good structure," Mr Bradley said.
The heifer bull had a direct calving ease of +7.1, 200-day of +64 to 600-day of +155, and carcase weight of +96.
One half of the purchasing partnership, Adam Turnbull of Tom Groggin Station, said Hazeldean Q843 had the figures they were chasing.
"We chase 200-day growth rate, the right mature cow weights and easy calving," Mr Turnbull said.
Mr Turnbull said they had around 500 breeders and they sold all their calves before winter, given their property's position in the high country.
"They don't get anything through the winter, bar what you feed so you have to cut down on numbers," Mr Turnbull said.
Both buyers planned to use the bull as part of their artificial insemination programs.
Hazeldean also sold 20 18-month-old bulls bred by embryo transfer.
Ms Bradley Litchfield said the bulls were out of their top 20 donor cows.
As a cohort they sold for an average of $14,300 and top of $26,000, paid for Hazeldean Q1917 by Gilgandra buyers on AuctionsPlus.
Hazeldean Q1917 was by Coonamble Hector WDCH249 and out of Hazeldean J115.
Other top sales included Hazeldean Q331, a Karoo Knockout Nenk 176 son with positive rib and rump fats of +2.5 and +2.1. He was bought by the Braddock family, Braidwood.
Volume buyers included Whiteley's Ag, Tooma who purchased eight bulls for an average of $16,750 and top price of $23,000.
The sale was underpinned by repeat, commercial buyers along with some stud interest, the majority of bulls heading to the Southern Tablelands, Riverina and Victoria.
The sale was conducted by Nutrien with Nutrien's Tim Woodham and Hamish McGeoch as auctioneers.
- Full report in next week's edition of The Land
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