The 33rd annual NSW Shorthorn Spring Fling Sale held at the Tamworth Regional Livestock Exchange on Thursday proved to be a knockout, with the multi-vendor auction celebrating a total clearance.
In all, 42 bulls were offered and sold from over 15 vendors from across the state to achieve an average of $11,214 and a top price of $22,000.
The 15 participating Shorthorn vendors in the sale where Kingsley Vale, Emross, Maddison Park, Ronelle Park, Trojan, Leeds, FortHood, K.O, Eselar Park, St Marys College, Southern Cross, Marrington, Terra, Terralea and Yanco Agricultrual High School.
Long-term vendor Gillian Leeds, Leeds Shorthorns, Jerilderie, sold the $22,000 sale-topper, Leeds Junky R35 a two-year-old homozygous polled bull, to B and S Retschlag, Barraba.
Leeds Shorthorns has been a vendor of the NSW Shorthorn Spring Fling Sale for over 30 years, with Mrs Leeds touched on how much of a success it was for the Shorthorn breed and also the muilti-vendor sale.
"Today's [Thursday's] results were outstanding It's been the best spring fling sale result we've ever had," she said.
"(The top-priced bull) Junky stood out to me the way he put on weight in the last few weeks leading into the sale. He has high marbling, muscle and looked good which was why I think he went for the price that he did."
The second highest price of $17,000 was shared between two vendors Marrington Shorthorns, Dubbo, and also top-priced vendor Leeds Shorthorns.
Marrington's homozygous polled bull Marrington Navigator R14 tested in the top four per cent of the breed for docility, top 10pc for marbling, top 15pc for rib eye, and top 25pc for stayability and the All Purpose Index.
He is on his way to his new home at The Ponds Farming Company, Dorrigo.
Eselar Park and K.O Shorthorns, Forbes offered the most bulls in the catalogue, with nine bulls sold to a $13,000 top and $7333.
The volume buyer who played a large role towards the clearance was NG and JM Gibson from Jericho, Qld, who put together a draft of 17 bulls.
The Gibson family who were underbidders on many lots throughout the sale invested heavily into participating vendors genetics, paying to a top of $12,000 and average of $6352.
Sale committee organiser Vicky Ridley was "extremely happy with the full clearance".
"It's great that all participating vendors got a bite of the cherry and cleared their bulls that they brought to Tamworth," she said.
"We had over seven new vendors at this year's sale with Yanco Agricultural High School, St Mary's Gunnedah, Nick Williams, Belinda Emery, Neil Hellyar, Bernie McBain and the Collins family all bringing bulls.
"We're very thankful to the Gibson family from Queensland who put a floor in the market at the sale and weren't afraid to invest into quality bulls that were on show today [Thursday].
"With the Thousand Guineas program running the Shorthorn breed is moving onto bigger and better things."
The sale was covered by Elders Tamworth with long-term stud stock agent Brian Kennedy taking bids as the auctioneer.
