Angus bulls to $40,000 and Poll Herefords to $36,000 as solid demand from repeat volume buyers generated excellent average prices for the Peake families' Bowen stud, Barraba.
With the sale gross of $2,636,000, the draft of 47 Poll Hereford bulls averaged $16,170, while the 82 Angus bulls averaged $22,878.
The strength of last year's sale averages was not matched when the Poll Hereford draft, which set a new breed average of $17,434 before the Angus draft, averaged $20,081
It was the number of bulls sold that carried the sale gross past last year's total of $2,027,000.
With 102 buyers registering from Birdsville in south-west Queensland, Theodore, Qld, King Island, and Victoria as well as most of NSW, the demand for the sale bulls was reflected in the averages.
Harry White, Coffin Creek Angus, Mudgee and Jamie Edmonds, Coolie Angus, Merriwa bought the top-priced Angus bull, Peakes Bowen Novak R544 for $40,000.
Mr White said the outlook of the bull and its sire appearance combined with a good set of Breedplan data and great pedigree made the bull an important sire prospect.
"Add to this Bowen's great program of producing cattle that perform so well is why we wanted him," Mr White said.
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Novak R544 weighed 886 kilograms and had Breedplan estimated breeding values (EBVs) of +7 for eye muscle area, +73 for carcase weight, and its milk EBV was +19.v The bull was sired by Karoo E313 Novak and was well regarded for its muscle mass.
Top priced Poll Hereford was Bowen Reese R020, sired by Bowen Notorious N245 and weighed 862kg. This bull with great potential to produce strong carcase traits was bought by Yavenvale Hereford, Adelong, with Tim Woodham, Nutrien Stud Stock, Wagga acting for the new owners.
Mr Woodham said Reese R020 was a bull with excellent Breedplan data and great skin with extra length.
"We're confident with where we're at with this bull is," Mr Woodham said.
Return volume buyers also added to the strength of the sale.
Nutrien's Mark Barton assisted Leonie Lawson of Bradleys Flat Pastoral Company, Black Springs, near Oberon, selecting 14 bulls: one Poll Hereford and 13 Angus to join the sire battery serving the 2000 cows run on the property.
The Bradleys Flat selections topped at $30,000 four times and averaged $26,000. Bradleys Flat has been buying Bowen bulls for almost 20 years and in 2021 bought 14 bulls averaging $20,285.
Mr Barton said Bradleys Flat was seeking to rebuild its herd impacted by the last drought and aimed to take the number of cows to 2500 head.
He said the Bowen sires had proven very influential in the Bradleys flat progeny where every steer goes into a feedlot for a 100 program before processing.
"The Bowen sires are giving Bradleys Flat cattle some very good carcase genetics and these are coming through in the top end of the carcase data of the 100-day fed cattle," Mr Godbolt said.
Bradleys Flat was the buyer of a Taimate Lazarus L12 son at $28,000. The proceeds were split three ways between the Ruby Mae Foundation, Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and the Stuart Peake Memorial Cancer Research Trust.
Nutrien's divisional livestock and stud stock manager John Settree, immediately announced that Nutrien would also contribute $10,000 to the three causes.
Another volume buyer was the O'Brien family. for the properties Peri and Terry Hie Station with seven Angus bulls to $24,000 and averaging $18,285.
Speaking on behalf of the O'Brien family, Neil Watson, Santaco, said the two properties run about 1200 breeders producing quality feeder cattle.
"We're attracting a premium from the feedlots for our Bowen-blood progeny as they are consistent in quality, do-ability and softness," Mr Watson said.
"The Bowen bulls are bred by true cattle people who make their breeding decisions giving full consideration to all subjective and objective information available," he said.
The impact of volume buyers was significant. Skygrove Propriety Limited, Yurnga, Taroom, Queensland, bought five Angus bulls to $24,000 for an average of $18,000. The Brook family, Adria Downs, Birdsville, Qld bought three bulls, averaging $7000, Nutrien Wandoan, account the Stains Partnership, Guluguba bought a Poll Hereford bull for $10,000 and an Angus bull for $12,000.
Okeview Pastoral, Rockview, Scone was another large volume buyer of Poll Hereford bulls paying $20,000 three times for an average of $17,000. Last year at Bowen, Okeview bought 19 Poll Herefords averaging $14,052.
The selling agents were Nutrien Ag Solutions with Paul Dooley the auctioneer. AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.