AN elite Angus female has been sold for $150,000, setting what is believed to be the second highest price for an Angus female on record.
Texas Pride L600, with a bull calf at foot, was sold by Ben and Wendy Mayne, Texas Angus, Warialda, and purchased by Moorunga Angus, Dromana on the Morington Peninsula, Vic.
The private negotiation was coordinated through Michael Glasser of Ray White GTSM.
The seven-year-old cow is sired by RB Tour of Duty 177 and out of Texas Pride E30, while her 'cracking' eight-week-old bull calf, Texas Entice T571, is by Mogck Entice.
Her $150,000 price tag is also a new Australian Angus mature cow record, surpassing the previous benchmark set in 2020 when Ben Nevis Jean H215 was sold to Bannaby Angus, Taralga, along with Banquet Angus, Mortlake, Vic for $82,000.
The Australian Angus record top price for a female was set in 2017 at the Millah Murrah Angus Sale, Bathurst when Millah Murrah Prue M4 sold for $190,000 to Brooklana Angus, Dorrigo, and it still stands five years later.
Pride L600 is well-known for producing Texas Nasa N121, Texas Romeo R190 and Texas Maverick R763.
Ben and Wendy Mayne said Texas Pride L600 was a "very special cow" within the Texas herd, and it was "a big decision to sell her".
"The only thing that swayed us was we have a significant number of her genetics filtered throughout the herd," they said.
"L600 displays all the qualities of the Texas herd; incredible fleshing, femininity, great structure, performance and has bred the house down which is why she has been our lead donor for the last few years.
"Her maternal background is huge... we believe excellent genetics always flow from the maternal base, and L600's maternal history is built like the Roman empire."
The Maynes said her dam was the great Texas Pride E30 who was sold at 11-years-of-age to 3R Livestock, Tamworth, for a then Australian Angus mature cow record of $60,000, and was now their foundation donor who was still being flushed at 14-years-of-age.
"Her grand dam, Texas Pride B052, was also a very successful breeder in the Texas herd," they said.
Pride L600's production history is elite, with her first natural son, Texas Nasa N121, needing no introduction.
"His (Nasa N121's) first 22 sons were sold at this year's (Texas) bull sale topping at $50,000 and averaging just below $30,000," they said.
"Nasa's sons were heavily chased at the sale for their calving ease, true power and performance, and they were also in hot demand at the South Australian Glatz Black Angus bull sale earlier this year."
Her second bull calf, Texas Romeo R190, a Varilek Geddes son, was the standout bull of this year's draft, according to Mr and Mrs Mayne who chose to retain him for stud duties with his calves due in autumn 2023.
"Like Nasa, he is a phenotypically outstanding bull with incredible length, super slick, strength of head and carriage, and has awesome docility," they said.
"L600's first sons sold in this year's bull sale and were in hot demand because of their sheer natural fleshing and weight for age - her 10 sons topped at $55,000 and averaged $32,000."
Texas Angus has 12 daughters of Pride L600 retained within the stud, and will be using Nasa and Romeo heavily for the next few years to maintain her influence throughout the herd.
Speaking on behalf of the purchasing stud, Moorunga manager Glenn Trout said they're excited to have the opportunity to work with a cow in the prime of her life that has such an amazing breeding record.
"Pride L600 will be joining an elite group of donors that we are working with to maximise the production of our top end females using the best AI [artificial insemination] sires available," Mr Trout said.
Established in 2018, Moorunga Angus has created a cow herd based on quality maternal lines from stud dispersals including Anvil, Ireland, and Stoney Point.
In 2021, Mr Trout (previously of Birubi Limousin and Kenmere Charolais) came on board to manage the stud and has since made judicious purchases from Banquet, Little Meadows and Texas female sales.
"We have also partnered with Hayden and Jasmine Green of Merryvale Angus on the import of Brown Double Decker 0004, a Hoover No Doubt son from Brown's Angus Ranch in North Dakota. We can't wait to see his first calves in that are due in March next year," Mr Trout said.
The Moorunga herd currently has around 100 registered females, and hosted its inaugural bull sale in August which reached a $20,000 top and $10,575. It was well supported by studs as well as commercial producers. They will continue to annually conduct a sale on the last Friday in August each year.
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