A commercial herd of 500 Angus and Angus-cross cows at Gulgong is the new home of the $45,000 top-priced Woonallee Simmental bull at Tamworth on Wednesday.
On offer today were 48 Black, and SimAngus bulls, 11 traditional and seven red Simmentals with a total clearance as solid demand from Queensland buyers put a significant floor in the sale.
This year's offering of 34 two-year-old bulls sold to $24,000 to average $15,617; 29 yearling bulls sold to $45,000 to average $17,362. At day's end, 63 bulls averaged $16,420.
It was the second sale at Tamworth Regional Livestock Exchange for Woonallee principals Tom, and Lizzy Baker, from Millicent in the southeast of South Australia. Its success was measured in a significant increase in the sale top and average on the 2021 result.
Last year's catalogue of 42 bulls included 15 rising two-year-old Simmentals, which averaged $13,200, while six were yearling Simmental bulls averaged $5666, 21 SimAngus bulls averaged $8047.
Buyers of the top-priced bull were Rob, Maree and their sons David and Michael Parkins, Rosemount, Gulgong, who bought last year's sale-topper.
David Parkins said this year's top-priced bull, Woonallee Sharpshooter, a 14.5-month-old son of Woonallee Norwood, had an eye-catching body shape, bone and weight for age. It weighed 750 kilograms, had an eye muscle area EMA) of 116 square centimetres, and is homozygous polled and black.
The Parkins also paid $26,000 for Woonallee Slam Dunk, sired by NGDB Structure 34D, another high-performing bull in the catalogue, that weighed 826kg at 16 months and with an EMA of 107sq/cm.
The Parkins join about 500 breeders and used to buy from Wombramurra stud, formerly based at Nundle, which Woonallee bought. "So we have the confidence in the pedigree," David Parkins said.
Woonallee stud co-principal Lizzy Baker said the decision to prepare the bulls for the sale at Steve Hayward and Kellie Smith's Allora, Queensland, district property had paid off on the day.
Mrs Baker said the bulls drew a great deal of attention from southern Queensland and NSW buyers who carried out a number of inspections before the sale. This year there were 60 buyer registrations, double the number at the inaugural sale.
Forty-four of the bulls offered were bought by Queensland buyers.
Volume buyers of the day were Grant and Kay Warrien, GKW Pastoral Holdings, Springrock, Injune, Qld, who were accompanied by their daughter Kayla and her fiance, Will Taylor.
Kayla is competing at the NSW Cutting Horse Inc event at White Park, Scone and the family decided to attend the sale in Tamworth while they were in the region.
When the final hammer fell, GKW Pastoral had bought 19 of the 63 bulls to $19,000 (twice) for an average of $14,473.
Mr Warrien said they ran about 5000 breeders and between 15,000 and 16,000 cattle, all told.
"We market all our cattle into feedlots or meatworks," Mr Warrien said.
"We turn over about 5000 cattle a year and run a mix of breed crosses including Brahman, Brahman-cross, Brangus, and Charbray.
"We're very impressed with the Woonallee cattle, and the homozygous poll bulls we bought means there is one less job to do at branding, and we brand about 4000 calves a year," he said.
He said the opportunity to buy a number of black Simmental and SimAngus bulls had appealed to the family.
GKW Pastoral holdings cover almost 50,000 hectares on several properties in the Injune district and the Arcadia Valley.
Woonallee co-principal Tom Baker said it wasn't every day a buyer of the GKW's support "walked in off the street".
"But they obviously thought the quality was they, and they acted accordingly," he said.
"The online component (from Queensland and South Australia) was also massive.
"The strength of the sale was based on commercial support, and that is what our business has evolved from."
Another volume buyer from Qld was AR and TG Black, Dunkeld, with four bulls averaging $14,250. At the same time, Apis Creek Pastoral Company, Mount Gardiner, Qld, bought three of the traditional Simmentals earlier in the catalogue averaging $14,000.
Ballinga Grazing, Ballinga, Millmerran, Qld, bought two bulls for a $20,000 average. Woonallee Natural R738, a 21.5 month-old, homozygous black and poll son of Lancaster Natural and Woonallee Neumann R674, a homozygous poll and black son of Naracoopa Neumann.
John Kirk and Co, Gayndah, Qld, paid $19,000 for a 21-month-old Naracoopa Neumann bull, while M and S Kirk, Gayndah paid $18,000 for another 15.5-month-old son of Neumann. Matt Kirk, Kirk Cattle Co, Mundubbera, Qld, bought two bulls averaging $17,500.
The Rankin Brothers, Tribella, Quirindi bought two bulls averaging $12,500, while Banoole Pastoral Company, Glencoe, bought two bulls for $14,00 and $15,000.
Bruce and Sandra Jorgeson, Bruxner Highway, Mummulgum, bought two bulls for $13,000 and $15,000.
The sale was conducted by Elders, Tamworth, with Lincoln McKinlay auctioneering. Elite Livestock Auctions and AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.
Simon Chamberlain
I have comprehensive experience in rural and regional journalism, as well as more than six years as a media officer for several politicians and worked in local government. I rejoined The Land in May 2022 and have loved being back in harness, reporting on a massive range of topics.
I have comprehensive experience in rural and regional journalism, as well as more than six years as a media officer for several politicians and worked in local government. I rejoined The Land in May 2022 and have loved being back in harness, reporting on a massive range of topics.
