It was a good day at the office for Courtney Hazeldene, Ganado Murray Greys, Bendigo, Vic, at the Murray Grey National Show and Sale, who sold the top-priced bull and female Saturday's sale at Albury.
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The top-priced bull, Ganado Too Cool, was purchased by David, Mandy and Emily Lewis, The Elms, Loberthal, SA, for $11,000.
The 20-month-old was by the stud's homebred sire Ganado R2-D2 and out of Waroona Taree N28.
Too Cool, 802 kilograms, scanned 129 square centimetres eye muscle area, 15 millimetres rump fat and 13mm rib fat.
The bull was sashed supreme exhibit during the national show, and last year won supreme Murray Grey exhibit at the Royal Melbourne Show and grand champion interbreed bull at the Bendigo show as a junior.
He recorded a birthweight estimated breeding value of +2.3 and a calving ease daughters figure of -1.2, placing him in the top 15 per cent of the breed.
Purchaser David Lewis said the bull would compliment their other herd sires.
The family have been breeding Murray Grey cattle commercially since 1988 but moved into the stud industry in 2019.
The stud now has 30 females after purchasing foundation cows from studs such as Woodbourn, Bottlesford and Monterey.
Ganado also exhibited the top-priced female, Ganado Topaz, by Glenliam Farm Playboy P99, who sold for $4000 to Luke and Janine Barber, Elk River Murray Greys, Glenisla, Vic.
She was sold pregnancy-tested-in-calf to Ganado Too Cool, while weighing 682kg at 22 months.
Elk River stud principal Luke Barber said the couple had been using Ganado genetics to start the emerging stud and found Topaz was the complete package.
"She's got a good genetic background," he said.
"I was looking for quality and something that I could breed on with and I know genetically, that particular heifer had all the attributes I was looking for.
"She had the quality that I was looking for with the type and shape and structure, it was all correct."
Mr Barber said it was hard to go past the female with her maternal sister Ganado Opal named the supreme Murray Grey exhibit at the Royal Melbourne Show in 2022.
Ganado Murray Greys donated 5pc of the proceeds of the sale of Ganado Topaz to Dementia Australia. Stud principal Courney Hazeldene said she was really happy to see her two animals go on to top the sale.
"I was incredibly pleased with the outcome with what could only be described as a difficult sale in tough conditions," she said.
The embyro package of four embyros of Arki Not Late N54/Arki Foxy Lady K79 was purchased by Ricklee Pastoral Company, Bass, Vic, for $200 per embyro, while the top-priced semen package was five straws of Woodbourn Paringa P49, purchased by Jumping Rock Murray Greys, Bundanoon, for $120 per straw.
All proceeds from the genetics packages in the catalogue were donated back Murray Grey Youth, with a total of $4425 raised.
Chair of the Murray Grey National Show and Sale committee, Nigel Eylward said the breed itself was still receiving a lot of support.
"The thing a lot of people probably don't know is the Murray Greys are starting to kick some goals over in Brazil and Argentina," he said.
"They are to build numbers over there and have picked up some embryos also.
"The seasonal conditions and the down turn in the market is hard, but there is still a lot of good stuff happening."
Overall, one of 12 bulls sold while six of 22 females averaged $2875.
The one embyro package sold with 10 of 14 semen packages averaging $40/straw.
The sale was conducted by Elders and Nutrien with Ryan Bajada, Elders stud stock and Peter Godbolt, Nutrien studstock as auctioneers.
AuctionsPlus provided the online platform.
