Venturon Livestock to $36,000 top, $9825 average

As 'sale' o' was called by Elders auctioneer James Culleton the Thompson's shed filled with 57 registered buyers ready to buy.

Along with the strong buying competition in the shed another 81 registered bidders logged on to AuctionsPlus from NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and WA and they placed 17 online bids across three lots.

On the back of the strong buying competition through the entire catalogue when the final bull was knocked down the combined Elders and Nutrien Livestock selling team had cleared 40 of 44 Angus, Charolais and Murray Grey bulls offered at an average of $9825, which was up $2207 or 29 per cent on last year.

In comparison, in the Thompson family's inaugural on-property sale last year they sold 34 bulls from 37 offered at an average of $7618.

Achieving the sale's $36,000 top price was the first Charolais bull offered, Venturon Raise The Bar R1 wh

From the moment Raise the Bar appeared on the screen, Mr Culleton didn't have to look hard for an opening bid as there was one of $20,000 showing on AuctionsPlus and from there the price quickly rose.

Eventually it was Salier family, Minnie-Vale Charolais stud, Narrabri, operating on AuctionsPlus, who came out the victor and secured the bull at $36,000 to set a State record price for a Charolais bull.

RELATED READING: Minnie-Vale Charolais hits $20,000 top, twice ave $13,023

Buyer Jason Salier said he was very happy to be able to secure the bull as he believed it is the best Charolais bull he had seen available for a few years that suits the needs of his stud.

"I initially saw him in the Charolais magazine when it came out and thought he looked like a good bull," Mr Salier said.

"I then got a catalogue from the Thompsons and saw him again and was impressed so I started doing some more homework on him and got a lot of pictures and videos sent over.

"From what I have seen he his a free moving bull with a great structure and a really love his thickness and softness.

"He also has a good temperament and is homozygous polled which is a key for us.

"It is not easy to find all these traits in one package but he has them all.

"In addition to these key attributes his Breedplan figures also stack up and his bloodline was another attraction as it will be a complete outcross to us.

"He is a real credit to the breeders and we are looking forward to getting him over here and working on the property.

"Hopefully he will breed on for us and we will have some great sons in our sales in a couple of years time."

The 930 kilogram, January 2020-drop bull is by WC Milestone 5223 and was one of its first sons to be offered in Australia and it is out of Venturon Hillary P27, which is a daughter of Sparrows Kingston 139Y.

Along with being well-muscled, well-balanced and extremely quiet, Raise the Bar had estimated breeding values to match its physical presence and eye appeal.

It ranks in the top five per cent of the breed for 200-, 400- and 600-day weights and scrotal size, top 10pc for gestation length and carcase weight and top 15pc mature cow weight.

On the index front it had values of +$39 for the domestic terminal (DTI) and +$81 for the northern maternal (NMI) which are both in the top 5pc of the breed.

Mr Thompson said they had always loved Raise The Bar R1.

"He has been a stand out since he was a calf in our eyes, so we are very happy to see he is going to one of top Charolais herds in Australia," Mr Thompson said.

There were a number of Eastern States buyers operating on Raise The Bar R1 and two that were fighting it out to the end against Minnie-Vale were the Chenu stud, Bridgewater, Victoria, which was relaying buying instructions through Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook agent Jamie Abbs and Bauhinia Park stud, Emerald, Queensland.

However it wasn't only Raise the Bar R1 which attracted the attention of buyers in the run, so too did the 11-month-old bull, Venturon Super Duty S30.

When the ET-bred son of Turnbulls Duty Free 358D and Venturon Naughty But Nice N31 was offered up, Mr Culleton took an opening bid of $8000.

From there the price quickly surpassed $20,000 as two buyers fought it out.

In the end it was the Fogden family, Boulview Charolais stud, Loxton, South Australia, who was giving bidding instructions over the phone to Elders, Boyup Brook agent Peter Forrest, who prevailed at the sale's second top price of $22,000.

Thomas Fogden said he had seen Super Duty S30's mother in SA and admired it for its structural correctness and maturity patterns, so they were very happy to be able to secure its son.

"We saw this son of hers was in the catalogue which was by a fresh sire which is not really on the market, it sparked our interest even more," Mr Fogden said.

"For a young bull he shows very good structural correctness, is easy doing and is moderate framed which suits us and we want this for our area."

The homozygous polled bull, was the first Duty Free 358D son to be offered in Australia and it wasn't only its outlook that impressed but also its balanced set of EBVs.

First time buyers Dean and Katie Ryan, Central Stockcare, Badgingarra, WA, may have been losing bidders on Super Duty S30 but that didn't let that stop them from buying in the sale.

By the end of the Charoalis run they had secured three bulls to a high of $14,000 which was the third top price in the run and an average of $10,167.

In the run the Thompson family offered 21 Charolais sires and 17 sold under the hammer to 13 different buyers at an average of $9588, which was up $2532 on their 2021 sale result and the sale's $36,000 top price as previously mentioned.

The four passed in sires also found new homes after the sale to give the Thompsons a total clearance for the day.

The Thompsons offered 16 Angus sires and sold them all under the hammer to 13 buyers to a top of $19,000 and an average of $10,594, which was up $344 on last year's result.

In last year's sale the family offered and sold 10 Angus bulls for a $10,250 average.

Leading the Angus charge, selling at $19,000 was Venturon Ronaldo R26 when it was knocked down to first time buyers Steve and Hague Jackson, Rimrock Grazing, Boyup Brook, WA.

Hague Jackson said they liked everything about Ronaldo R26.

"He is a good, even balanced bull with an even set of figures," Mr Jackson said.

"Not only is he a good bull in the flesh, we were also chasing his outcross genetics for our herd."

The ET-bred September 2020-drop bull is by Bushs Easy Decision 98 and out of Diamond Tree Weigh Up M5.

The 716kg well-muscled sire ranks in the 1pc of the breed for 400-day weight and retail beef yield, top 3pc 600-day weight and MCW, top 4pc 200-day weight, top 7pc CWT as well as top 11pc GL and top 18pc calving ease daughters.

In terms of the indexes it ranks in the top 15pc for the domestic and top 25pc for heavy grain and Angus breeding.

The next best price for an Angus bull was $16,000 and it was paid twice.

An offering of seven Murray Grey sires rounded out the sale and they were as equally as sought out by the buyers as the other two breeds with seven bulls selling to six buyers to a top of $21,000 a stud record and an average of $8643 which was up $3726.

In last year's sale the stud offered seven grey sires and sold six for an average of $4917.

Taking top price honours in the run at $21,000 was the first bull in the run, Venturon Rectify R1 when it sold in partnership to David Corker, Wundam Park stud, Boyup Brook, WA and Premier Cattle Co, New Zealand.

The soft, well-muscled, February 2020-drop bull is by Mighty Next Best Thing and out of Bundaleer Kuri H65.

It weighed in at 826kg and has EBVs of +34, +53 and +73 for 200, 400 and 600-day weights which rank it in the top 10-15pc of the breed.

Mr Corker said Rectify R1 was a bull with real grunt.

"He has a particularly strong, wide spine, excellent shoulders and legs and excellent depth," Mr Corker said.

"The depth of his pedigree will also guarantee consistency of breeding which was something I was looking for and he also has an impressive set of EBVs which is a bonus."

Mr Corker said before Rectify stands at Wundam Park it would go to Holbrook, to have semen collected which will be sent to New Zealand and also stored in Australia.

The next best price for a Murray Grey bull was $9000 bid by JH McTaggart, Glen Mervyn, WA for another Next Best Thing son, Venturon Rockstar R3.

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