Celebrating 51 years of the stud, Benelkay Poll Santa Gertrudis held its 11th annual bull sale on property near Mullaley, which broke their top and average price on farm records. The sale also featured their first ever offering of stud females.
Overall, 35 of 37 bulls were sold to a top of $50,000, to average $14,471, and five of six females sold to $8500 twice, and averaged $7000.
Surpassing the previous on-farm record top price of $30,000, which was set in 2021, was Benelkay Renovator R014, which sold for $50,000 to Dangerfield Cattle Co, Taroom, Qld.
The 26-month-old homozygous polled son of Yarrawonga M134 weighed 930 kilograms with a 41cm in scrotal circumference with semen motility of 80pc and morphology of 83pc.
With an eye muscle area of 137 square centimetres, Renovator R014 had an intramuscular fat score of 6.9 per cent, and fats of 12mm on the rump and 10mm on the rib.
Dangarfield's Ben Adams said R014 was an outcross bull to his herd and had plenty to offer.
"The real eye appeal to me was his length, and I just feel that too many cattle are getting short so I want to maintain the length that we already have," he said.
"I wasn't particularly looking for a PP (homozygous polled) bull but it is a bonus.
"He was just a good honest article from Benelkay.
Mr Adams said it was too early to have a real game plan but R014 would be joined to a select group of cows.
An additional two bulls also sold above the previous top price, with Benelkay Roundup R004 selling to $38,000 to Valencia Farming, Capella, Qld, and Benelkay Renegade R046, purchased for $37,500 by Forest Park, Blackall, Qld.
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The average bull price increased from $10,000 last year, to $14,471 which was a big jump that Benelkay co-principal Andrew Orman said demonstrated the support and confidence clients had in the cattle.
Mr Orman said the feature sire in the draft was Yarrawonga M134 who had a prolific impact on the herd since his purchase in 2017.
Overall, 21 sons of M134 sold to a top of $50,000, to average $16,690, and two females sold for $6000 apiece.
With the first-ever offering of stud females in the sale, five of seven females averaged $7000 and reached a top of $8500 twice.
Lindsay O'Brien, Narrabri, purchased one of the equal top-priced female, Benelkay Q197, which had a one-month-old heifer calf at foot by Yarrawonga Quicksilver Q680.
Santa Gertrudis youth member Faith Green, Colly Blue, secured the other, Benelkay Q185, which had a one-month-old bull calf at foot, also by Yarrawonga Quicksilver Q680.
Miss Green said she was looking for a younger cow that would put forward profit down the track and among the females offered, Q185 was the standout for her.
"She has the nice cherry red coat, is nice and long, and for her age she is early maturing but still has room to grow," she said.
"She has got the bloodlines to back her so I have to just find the right bull."
Miss Green said Q185 would be artificially inseminated in two months to Glen Oaks Farmhand to put more size in her next calf. Based at Colly Blue, Miss Green had four Watasanta heifers and had begun showing her own bulls to help get her name out there.
Mr Orman said the main reason for offering the females for the first time was to give youth members in particular a chance to start or grow their herds with genetics from the core of Benelkay.
"There were a lot of younger people who bought them," he said.
"We are very proud of the lineup we had here on offer, there are a variety of styles of bulls and they represent us well.
"The are not over prepared, they are just fit, healthy, and ready to go.
"We strive to do the best job we can and I am glad to see you blokes [purchasers] are supporting us year after year and hopefully we can keep producing bulls like this and you can keep coming back."
Two volume buyers were present in the sale with Old Bundilla Pastoral Co, Warren, securing three bulls, all for $6000 each, and Widden Stud Australia, Denman, purchasing three to a top of $18,000 for Benelkay Ripper R12, and average of $13,333.
The sale was conducted by Elders Gunnedah with Lincoln McKinlay, Inverell, auctioneering.