Seedstock records tumble in 2022

The $120,000 bull with buyers Stephen Peake and David and Olwyn Lyons, Nutrien's Howard Carter and John Settree, and vendors Emma, Del and Greg Rees.

It is no secret that 2022 was a year to remember within the seedstock industry, on an individual stud level, a breed level but mostly an industry wide level.

Surpassing their previous world record bull sale average of $34,221 was the Thompson family of Millah Murrah Angus stud which sold 128 bulls for an eye-watering $43,633 average.

Also claiming a new world record top price for a Speckle Park bull was Six Star Speckle Park, Bundanoon, and Southern Aurora Speckle Park, Berry which sold Six Star Southern Aurora Justice R10 for $100,000.

Matching the $100,000 price tag, and also setting another world record for the Speckle Park breed, was Battalion Heartbreaker R16 which was sold by Battalion Speckle Park, Dundee.

Dubbo Poll Hereford National established a new record top price for the sale as The Ranch Remington R028 from The Ranch, Tomingley, sold for $120,000.

Futurity Shorthorns, Baradine, sold Futurity Rapid Gain R332 for a Shorthorn record top price of $85,000 as part of the draft of 60 Shorthorn bulls which averaged $22,041 and set another breed record.

The Red Angus breed's top price bull record tumbled twice within a year, firstly at the Invitational Bull Sale when Yallambee Red Angus sold Yallambee Goldmaster R8 for $28,000 and then at the Hicks Beef Spring Bull Sale when Hicks Beef sold Hicks Marble Bar R48 for $33,000.

Mudgee-based Coffin Creek Angus stud set a new Angus Performance Register (APR) record top price when they sold Coffin Creek S100 for $70,000.

But there was one particular female which soared to unseen before heights. Wagyu heifer Sunnyside S0014, from Sunnyside stud, Inverell sold for $400,000 which made it Australia's highest-selling animal to ever be sold at auction, smashing top-priced bull records.

Three new records were set within the Angus breed, two at the Circle 8 Angus female sale in September where an unjoined yearling heifer sold for $140,000 and 78 Angus heifers averaged $20,950 (an increase of $7241 on the previous record).

A private sale of Texas Pride L600 for $150,000 also established a new Australian Angus mature cow record.

A 34-year-old record tumbled for the Limousin breed when Summit Livestock, Uranquinty sold Summit Krystal L35 for $55,000 and set a new benchmark for a Limousin female.

In the Merino industry, Kerin Poll Merinos, Yeoval tallied an Australian Merino record sale gross of $2,136,500 when it sold 519 rams for a $4117 average.

Wellington-based Mumblebone Merino stud averaged $5226 across 394 rams and established what is believed to be an on-property record for the Merino industry.

Australian Whites once again made headlines selling Tattykeel Platinum for $240,000 setting a new benchmark for the highest price ever paid for a meat sheep breed ram.

An emerging sheep breed growing in popularity among commercial producers, the Charollais, also celebrated new heights when Rene stud, Culcairn sold Rene Charollais 456.21 for $10,500.

Note: this is a quick snapshot of some of the records broken in 2022. Look out for the beef cattle, Merino and meat/terminal breed wraps in The Land print edition from January 5-19.