Angus bulls were the most sought-after breed at the James Gooch Agencies 20 Annual All Breeds Bull and Female sale at Gloucester.
Four Angus bulls sold to the equal top price of $10,000, with 35 of 38 offered selling at auction, averaging $6157.
Demand for the offering of Shorthorn and Hereford bulls was limited. Only one Shorthorn of seven offered sold for $5000, and four of 10 Hereford bulls sold at auction to a top of $5000, averaging $4000.
James Hooke's Skibo Angus, Gloucester, sold all four equally top-priced bulls.
Skibo offered 26 bulls, with one being passed in at auction, but this was sold immediately after the sale. The Skibo draft averaged $6519.
The buyers of the top-priced bulls included J and R Fisher and family, Gloucester, who paid $10,000 for Skibo S7, an early maturing son of the G188. The same buyers paid $4000 for a son of Clunie Range Quality Time Q327.
Stephen Overall, Bowman, paid $10,000 for Skibo S11, sired by Wattletop G188.
P and J Flemming, Warranulla paid $10,000 for Skibo S22, sired by Glenavon P185. The Flemmings also paid $8000 for a Wattletop G188 son.
The Searle family, Lower Belford, via Singleton, paid $10,000 for Skibo S20, another son of Wattletop G188, and $ 8000 for a Glenavon P185 bull.
JR Higgins and Sons, Faulkland, paid $9000 for Skibo S1, sired by Clunie Range Quality Time Q327, while Gary Yates, Gloucester, paid $8000 for a Wattletop G188-sired bull.
Peter and Sandra Margery's Petandra Angus, Stroud Road, offered 10 bulls, which sold to $8000 for a complete clearance and averaged $4900.
Don Dunlop, Gloucester, bought the top-priced Petandra bull, Petandra Fireball S25, sired by GAR Sure Fire 6404. It had a Breedplan estimated breeding value (EBV) birthweight (BW) of +3.3 with good data for growth, including +63 for 200-day growth, +106 for 400-day and +143 for 600-day growth. It also carried good data for carcase traits, including a +14.8 for estimated eye muscle area and a +5.2 for intramuscular fat.
Trevor Bolton, Gloucester, paid $6000 for Petandra Stockade S29, sired by Petandra Beast Mode Q651. S29 had a moderated BW EBV of +4 with an EBV of +17 for milk. It had an EMA EBV of +4.6, and its 200-day growth EBV was +59. Its 400-day growth EBV was +102, and 600-day was +123.
Scott Sullivan, Dungog bought Tipperary Talisman, a rising two-year-old Shorthorn bull, from the Tipperary stud, Tipperary for $5000. Jenny Crowther's Matchem Herefords sold Matchem Endure S005 for $5000 to Houston Pastoral Company, East Maitland.
Welray Partnership: Nabiac sold Welray Superman for $4000 to Trevor Schubert, Wauchope.
Selling agent and auctioneer James Gooch, Gooch Agencies, Gloucester, said the clearance of Angus bulls was pleasing, and prices reflected the state of the cattle market.
"It was in and out, but that's how it is at the moment," he said.
