An outstanding soft roan bull with terrific data from Eloora stud, Bulart, Vic, fetched the top price at the 2024 Naracoorte Shorthorn bull sale at the Pathfinder Sale Complex, Naracoorte, SA, last Thursday.
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The April 2022 drop, Eloora Melbourne T103, was bought by Jason and Kylie Catts, Futurity stud, Baradine, for $24,000.
They said Melbourne was the "complete package" with his good balance of expected progeny differences (EPD) and "great phenotype".
The 872-kilogram bull ranked in the top one per cent for weaning weight and top 2pc on marbling as well as top 10pc for carcase weight, fat and the All Purpose Index (API).
"He has medium maturity, nice, soft fleshing and a nice, soft skin which will be suited to breeding bulls for northern environments," Mr Catts said.
"He is a pretty versatile bull being homozygous polled so we will join him to cows that suit."
Eloora stud principal Dion Brook, Bulart, Vic, said Melbourne had been his pick of their two-year-old sale bulls since they were calves.
Melbourne was by home-bred sire Eloora Geelong which they had sold as a two-year-old and bought back as a five-year-old. He was out of a 14-year-old cow, Eloora Hannah Q123.
"He was low birth weight [37kg] and has always looked the same, deep and soft with a beautiful skin on him," he said.
There were nearly 10 more registered bidders than the 2023 sale but the result was a far cry from last year's $42,000 record-breaking high.
Of the 46 bulls offered, 31 sold from the seven South Australian, Victorian and NSW vendors to an average of $8355.
In comparison, in 2023, 40 of 42 bulls averaged $11,050.
Eloora stud sold six of its nine bulls for a $9333 average.
"We were expecting it to be a tougher day and that is what it turned out to be despite the good crowd," Mr Brook said.
"We think we will get through most of our bulls but it will just take longer this year."
The Williamson family, Caskieben stud, Carisbook, Vic, had the largest offering but still finished high on the stud averages list.
Ten of their 12 bulls averaged an impressive $8800 and topped at $14,000 twice.
Both of these bulls, Caskieben Xenacious and Caskieben Archer T68, were knocked down to long-time sale supporters Richard and Jane Gould, Cortina Pastoral, Lucindale, SA.
Paul and Alison and Ron and Jenny Pridham, Nentoura stud, Frances, SA, were also strong performers with their draft. Their six bulls averaged $8833.
One of these, Nentoura Top Gun T7, a rich red-coated bull was the sale's second highest price at $18,000.
The son of Bayview Chester P70 had the heaviest weight gain the stud has ever bred weighing 700kks at just 13 months of age. On sale day eve, at 23 months, he weighed 1085kg.
The successful buyer was respected commercial breeder, Riverside Holdings, Tintinara, SA.
Several buyers took home two bulls each but the volume buyer was GM Butler & Sons, Lochaber, SA, buying through Elders Naracoorte's Alan Thomson.
They outlaid $11,000 for Nentoura Roger T28 but also snapped up three bulls at the $6000 base price.
Peter Mills, Wynyard stud, Northwood, Vic, sold his three bulls for a $6667 average.
NSW vendor Janelle Johnstone, Ronelle Park stud, Lyndhurst, sold two of her four bulls, which were some of the youngest in the catalogue, for $6000 and $8000, while her son Trent, Trojon stud, sold one of his three bulls at $8000.
Sale coordinator Rosemary Miller said it was pleasing to see such a high quality offering of bulls but disappointing they did not all find homes, despite interest from four states.
She said it was one of those years when some regular buyers did not require new bulls while others had opted to hold onto their older bulls for longer due to the lack of confidence in the market and the very dry autumn in the south east of South Australia and western Victoria.
Elders auctioneer Tony Wetherall described the sale as a buyer's market and noted the result was no reflection on the quality of the bulls on offer.
"There were some variation in styles but all bulls were well and truly marketable, perhaps the drop in demand is the environment we are in, it is dry and the market has been up and down," he said.
"Maybe there has been a few more bulls on offer but in the past few years we have had solid sales so I think it is a phase with people being a bit uncertain about things in the past 12 to 18 months."
Elders and Nutrien were joint selling agents.
