A cow and calf have sold for the top price at the St Pauls Genetics Black Simmental Sale this week.
The online sale through AuctionsPlus was held over 24 hours on Sunday and Monday and when the auction closed, a majority of the females had sold.
Ten of 12 cows sold to an $11,000 top to average $5800, 10 of 16 heifers sold to a top of $8500 to average $4275, three of 17 bulls sold to a top of $6500 to average $5667.
Four of six embryo packages also sold to a top of $1000 to average $837 per embryo and two of five semen straws sold to a top of $140 to average $104 per straw.
The top-priced cow, St Pauls Nuk N426 Pear R412, with heifer calf U479, sired by Gibbs Essential, was sold to Knights Bridge Simmental, Sassafras, Tasmania.
The homozygous polled cow had expected progeny differences (EPDs) of +1.1 birth weight, +95.9 weaning weight and +18.4 stayability.
Her paternal sister, St Pauls CC N425 Pear R409, sold to Six Creeks Simmental, Kongorong, SA, for $8500.
The top-priced bull, St Pauls Tighten T464, sold for $6500 to Elite Cattle Co, Meandarra, Queensland.
The buyer of the top-priced unmated heifer, St Pauls Rid M412 Pear T443, was James Litt Family, Forbes, who paid $8500. They bought a total of four heifers.
The top-priced heifer was a flush mate to the stud's March sale's top seller.
The donor dam, St Pauls CC G430 Pear M412, was the breed's most prolific cow for 2022, St Pauls Genetics principal Bill Cornell said.
Her sons had won bull calf champion and best pair of bulls at the Sydney Feature Show.
Meanwhile, the top-priced mated heifer, St Pauls QV Q409 Lucy T427, was purchased for $8250 by Grangeburn Simmental, Wannon, Victoria.
The top lot of four embryos, by RF Caliber out of Lancaster Strike M432, at $1000 per embryo went to Bulloch Hills Simmentals, Kattaning, WA.
Meanwhile, semen lot of six straws of Bonnydale Nukara went to Elite Cattle Co at $140 a straw.
Mr Cornell said the bull side of things was tough as expected - he noted he'd sold 26 bulls last month as well - but he was delighted with the result in lots selling to six states.
"It was great to have a 75 per cent repeat buyers showing the confidence in the females and genetics in the program," he said.
