ASTUTE cattle producers flocked to Glatz's Black Angus stud's annual Cattleman's Bull Sale on Wednesday last week at Avenue Range, pushing the average up by more than $700 on the 2014 sale.
In SA Angus Week's first total clearance, all 56 outstanding bulls offered by Ben and Samantha Glatz sold, averaging $5071.
Fifty-eight registered bidders from a huge geographical area including the Fleurieu Peninsula, South East, western and central Vic, to the far north east of SA and Broken Hill, NSW.
They were keen to invest in high performance genetics featuring a diverse range of new and proven imported and Australian sires, and were spoilt for choice with a top line-up of structurally sound bulls with natural doing ability and carcase merit.
The sale's success did not depend on just a few volume buyers, but rather many of the 38 individual buyers buyers taking one or two bulls.
Heath and Jenna Tiller, HB Rural, Warnertown, bought two foundation sires for their Goolagong Angus stud including the $13,000 sale topper.
Black Angus Chisum J88 - an April 2013-drop AI bred son of US sire Spickler Chisum - was one of the sale's standouts.
"He had everything going for him and is what we need to breed bulls for up north," Mr Tiller said.
"He was moderate-framed with lots of thickness and good on his feet and legs, and his figures match his phenotype."
The 876-kilogram bull was in the top 1 per cent of the breed for 400-day growth, 600-day growth and docility, and the top 10pc for milk and scrotal circumference.
Last year Goolagong bought a significant portion of the Kingarth Angus herd to complement their Santa Gertrudis stud.
Underbidders on the sale topper B&K McKinnon, Dartmoor, Vic, were successful on three bulls in the top end of the catalogue for an $8000 average. They included the $9500 second-top price for black Angus Chisum J68, another son of Spickler Chisum - the number-one docility sire in the United States and trait leader for 200,400 and 600-day growth.
The 885kg April 2013-drop Chisum J68 had a terrific balance of figures.
Two other buyers bought three bulls each.
Landmark Adelaide's Trevor Driver, buying for Broad Cattle Company for their stations around Alice Springs and on the Birdsville Track paid between $3000 and $4000 for their purchases. AG&JS Ferris, Kingston, bought three bulls for averaging $4000.
PJ&P Holmes, Drik Drik, Vic - winners of the grand champion carcase in the 2014 Teys Southern Grassfed Carcase Classic with a Glatz black Angus blood steer - bought an Ardrossan Equator A241 son at $5000.
Mr Glatz said the sale had a "great result."
He said the feedback following the field days and pre-sale inspection was very good with many favourable comments on the good uniformity and Glatz "three dimensional" type with length, depth, spring of rib and thickness.
"Repeat buyers were very strong, which was great to see,'' he said. ''The cattle by our bulls are doing well in carcase competitions and in the weaner sales where they have been at or close to the top of the sales.
"Even the pastoral orders could see the quality of the cattle and were prepared to pay a bit more than usual, bidding at $4000 rather than $3000."
Catherine Miller
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
