High marble score Wagyu makes $75,000

On offer were 150 bulls that sold to $75,000, averaging $20,653, with a complete clearance.

The sale topper was Trent Bridge T158, sold for $75,000 and is the half-brother to the heifer, TBRFS211, who sold at the Elite Wagyu Sale earlier this year for $160,000. This heifer had a Wagyu Breedplan estimated breeding value (EBV) marble score 3.9.

Sired by Olive Grove Wagyu Q038, T158 is a grandson of Sumo Cattle Co Michifuku and carried an impressive range of data, including a marble score (MS) EBV of 3.4 and an eye muscle area (EMA) EBV of 2.9. It also displayed high-rating Wagyu indexes, including a self-replacing index (SRI$) of 366.

The buyer was a syndicate that included Currabubula Pastoral, Currabubula, Dalara Pastoral, Blackville, and John Sylvester, Wombramurra Station, Nundle.

Trent Bridge co-principal Charlie Perry said the result of a 100 per cent clearance was gratifying.

"These were the best of what we can breed, and we have exclusively targeted commercial breeders," Mr Perry said.

"Our focus is on strong relationships with our clients in the supply chain. I was confident that our clearance would be strong, but the prices took us by surprise."

Mr Sylvester said the bull's genetics made the decision to chase T158 easy.

"A marble EBV of 3.4, a marble fineness EBV of+.48 and a growth rate EBV that was nearly double the breed average," he said. "The marble fineness is most critical for me; the increased marble fleck, the better the meat quality," he added.

Mr Sylvester said the bull would most likely be joined to the three shareholders' commercial herds, with already interest in semen packages for artificial breeding inquiries.

"We're now breeding for calves in 2025," he said. "So the investment for such quality genetics is well worthwhile. You've got to be looking to the future."

Mr Perry said the second top price was Trent Bridge T579, which sold for $40,000 and was bought by Hugh Westcott, Hughenden, Queensland.

T579 was described as being in the top 10 pc of the breed for F1 and FB index with an MS EBV of +2.2 and an EMA EBV of +2.3,

Repeat volume buyers provided the foundation of the sale. Craig Waldron, Westbury, Tasmania, acted for several clients and bought 20 bulls to join F1 breeding programs in that state.

The Klug family, Happy Valley Pastoral, Flinders Island, bought eight bulls averaging $24,500 for a herd of 840 Angus cows, breeding a specific F1 line of WAgyu-cross cattle with low birthweights and high marbling capacity.

Sam Klug said it was the fifth time Happy Valley had bought bulls from Trent Bridge, but with the inaugural sale, the opportunity was available to visit the Guyra district property.

"We really like the low birth weight, marbling and growth rate traits that the Trent Bridge bulls provide us," she said. "We like to turn off our F1s between seven to nine months with weights ranging from 270 kilograms to 300kg."

"We get fantastic growth rates, and the marble scores in our cattle are well above the breed average," Ms Klug added. Steers from Happy Valley are shipped to the Hells Gate feedlot near Hay for finishing.

Armitage and Buckley Armidale were selling agents, with Luke Heagney and Tom Piddington as the auctioneers.