THE first week of September sales went off with a bang, with bids coming hard and fast across both bull and ram sales across the east coast.
From September 1 to 7, based on calculations of sales in this week's The Land, there were 27 sales with a total of 1214 bulls sold at auction from 1245 offered, resulting in a 97.51 per cent clearance rate and a gross of $18,812,141.
Of these, 885 bulls came from NSW sales, 232 from Queensland sales and 97 from Victoria.
Eighteen NSW sales averaged $16,748, six Queensland sales averaged $9901 and two Victorian sales averaged $14,221.
The average price paid for a bull this week was $15,496, up $1651 from the August average price of $13,845, but slightly down compared to the strongest week in August where 988 bulls sold for a $15,598 average from August 8 to 14.
Angus bulls accounted for 51pc of the market, with 621 bulls sold across 11 sales for a $19,801 average and $12,296,431 gross.
Two Santa Gertrudis sales resulted in 119 bulls sold at a $9999 average, and 75 Brangus bulls were sold in a multi-vendor Queensland sale for an $11,013 average.
Charolais breeders sold 63 bulls for a $14,555 average, and Hereford breeders sold 62 bulls for a $6704 average.
The Speckle Park breed accounted for 59 bulls sold at a $14,881 average, ahead of an Australian Beef Composite offering which resulted in 54 sold to average $14,037.
Red Angus and Simmental/SimAngus were on par with each selling 42 bulls, at an average of $10,205 and $9776, respectively.
At sales in the north, 28 Brahman bulls averaged $5786, a mixed offering at Elite Cattle Co, Meandarra, Qld, averaged $13,160, and 24 Limousin bulls were sold for a $8375 average.
Five bulls sold for six figures, three at the Millah Murrah Angus sale, Bathurst, and two at the Milwillah Angus sale, Young.
These included the $280,000 Millah Murrah Rocket Man R38, the $240,000 Millah Murrah Rembrandt R48, the $130,000 Milwillah Slideshow Q102, the $110,000 Millah Murrah Rolls-Royce R275 and the $100,000 Milwillah Blackout Q822.
Other high sellers included; Coolah-based Minnamurra Speckle Park sold Minnamurra Rastus R51 for $56,000 to Wattle Grove Speckle Park, Oberon.
In a Queensland sale, the reserve interbreed bull in the Australian Community Media Sire Shootout, 4 Ways Qupid was sold by 4 Ways Charolais, Inverell, for $52,500 to Moongool Charolais, Yuleba, Qld.
Banquet Angus, Vic sold Banquet Redden R018 for $48,000 to Cleveland Pastoral Estate, Ouse, Tas.
The top five individual sale averages were Millah Murrah Angus, $34,221 for 118 Angus bulls sold, Milwillah Angus, $25,726 for 106 Angus bulls sold, 4 Ways Charolais, $18,360 for 25 Charolais bulls sold, Reiland Angus, Killimicat, $17,623 across 69 Angus bulls sold and Banquet Angus, Mortlake, Vic, $16,717 across 39 Angus bulls.
Note: the statistics do not include the Dunlop Santa Gertrudis Bull Sale, Qld as it was a late addition to print. At that sale 104 Santa Gertrudis bulls sold to a $57,500 top and averaged $18,745.
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