Five sales over 12 months is a feat that would make even the best question their abilities, but Wattle Grove Speckle Park took up the challenge and did it in style celebrating new heights continually throughout the year.
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The consistency of the Oberon-based stud's program was continually made clear with each event sparking interest from new people, as well as a following of repeat clients, with many following on as the Humphries family made new never before seen moves in the beef industry.
Today's final sale for the year culminated in a new world record top price of $75,000 paid for a Speckle Park female, when Wattle Grove P503 Cara S101 went under the hammer.
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The nine-month-old heifer sold to Ivery Downs Cattle Co, Colinton, Qld, via Elite Livestock Auctions.
Despite being the final live lot of the day, it was no surprise that the eye-catching female quickly spurred a bidding frenzy as she was the first daughter of the $68,000 world record top-priced bull, Wattle Grove Paperboy P503.
She was out of Wattle Grove Cara P752 and was Dale's pick of the heifers.
An emotional day for Dale and Bin Humphries and their children, tears flowed as the final lot went under the hammer and rounds of applause followed.
"Wow" was the only word needed to describe the day.
The $75,000 world record surpasses the previous benchmark of $70,000 set last Saturday during the Three Way Speckle Park Stage One Dispersal Sale, Nundle near Tamworth. Prior to this the record was $57,000 set by Jackungah Speckle Park at the Blueprint Opportunity Sale, Pine Lodge, Vic.
In all, 20 Speckle Park females sold to the $75,000 sale high and averaged $21,700, while 28 bulls sold to a $30,000 top, twice, and averaged $13,107.
Selling for $36,000 was the 22-month-old pregnancy-tested-in-calf female, Wattle Grove 107D Zahrah Q291, purchased by Monivae Speckle Park, Tara, Qld.
Wattle Grove N58 Tractor Q116, the reserve junior champion Speckle Park bull from the 2021 Beef Australia show at Rockhampton, Qld, was the first to make $30,000 selling to Gotcha Speckle Park, Dumaresq Island.
Wattle Grove Galaxy R110 also made $30,000 and was purchased by a syndicate of buyers through Elders Taree.
Four embryo packages averaged $2563 per embryo and reached the top price of $4000/embryo for four embryos out of Wattle Grove Star Dust J31 sired by Wattle Grove Smoke and Mirrors L275.
Four semen packages averaged $4250 and topped at $5500 total, or $917 a straw, for a package of six semen straws from 'The Limited Legends'. It included two straws of each bull including; Avery Creek Banjo 01B, Spots 'N Sprouts Stands Alone and Upto Specs Ulysses 25U.
The top embryos were bought by Pitt Street Produce, O'Connell, while the top semen package was purchased by online buyer Stephen Ariss, Temple Mount Farm, Woodend North, Victoria, who last year bought the $68,000 Paperboy P503.
Commercial females were also in demand with 36 sold to a top of $6250 a head and average of $4586/hd.
The $6250/hd top pen of six commercial pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) cows sold to Toebelle Speckle Park, Duns Creek. They were first-cross Speckle Park/Angus females PTIC to Wattle Grove Speckle Park bulls, and were third calvers.
Toebelle also purchased a bull, Wattle Grove Solar Q919, for $10,000 and a heifer, Wattle Grove 01B Niome Q244, for $16,000.
Online buyers through the Elite Livestock Auctions platform underpinned the event with 61 of the 62 lots, or 98 per cent, of the sale receiving bids from remote prospective buyers.
In total, 44 lots sold via the platform with 176 registered buyers and 215 viewers logged in.
Animals are headed as far north as Proserpine, Qld, as far south as Tasmania, and everywhere in between, with one sold to a South Australian buyer. Five bulls were sold to a commercial producer from Moura, Qld.
The sale was conducted by Elders with Lincoln McKinlay, Inverell as the auctioneer.
- Full report in next week's The Land newspaper.
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