Sterita Park shines at SA Angus Week

The sale ensured the DiGiorgio family achieved SA Angus Week's second highest average of $5354 - a jump of nearly $1700 on 2014.

They also cleared an extra 10 bulls with 79 of 80 finding homes in SA, Vic and NSW.

After a couple of challenging years of having their top-quality bulls under rated, there was standing room only in the bidding gallery this time.

The auctioneers hardly drew breath throughout the sale with many lots kicked off at $4000 and knocked down seconds later at $5000-$6000.

The consistent line of easy fleshing, docile bulls with tremendous muscle definition were bred from a considerable investment in Australian and US genetics.

The bulls were complemented by outstanding performance figures with a spread of moderate birth weight, high growth, carcase and calving ease numbers - many in the top 10 per cent of the Angus breed.

The two $9000 sale toppers were bought by astute South East commercial breeders James and Leticia Gosse, Penola, and the Wooding family, Penola.

The first, Sterita Park J71, was the heaviest bull in the draft at 932 kilograms and a son of TeMania Emperor E343, with calving ease, gestation length and all growth figures in the top 10pc of the breed up to +121 for 600-day weight.

The Wooding family, Penola, secured the other sale topper, Sterita Park J60, a few lots later at lot 17.

Nearly half of the catalogue had positive rib and rump fat Breedplan figures including this lot - a son of Rennylea Edmund E11.

"We picked him out on his structure, EBVs and positive rib fat of +3.7. We stick to positive fat for doing ability in our cattle," Peter Wooding said.

The stud's genetic alliance, flushing some of the best females in the Sydgen herd in the US, once again produced some of the star lots.

Four ET sons of Sydgen Forever Lady 4413 averaged $7000. It included two of the bulls to go to stud duties.

A coup for the stud was selling a high-performance son of Silveiras Conversion 8064 to Kennys Creek Angus, Boorowa, NSW, for $8000.

The March 2013-drop had a remarkable eye muscle area of +8.7.

For the same money, Alpine Angus, Porepunkah, Vic, was successful on a Connealy Forward son.

Most bulls were January to March 2013-drops but buyers found value at the end of the catalogue with the October 2013-drops. Seven of these eight young bulls sold for a $4143 average.

Long-time supporters GA Young & Sons, Kalangadoo, were the sale's heavyweight buyer with six bulls for a $4750 average.

Three other buyers put together five bulls each with Hillcrest Pastoral, Avenue Range, averaging $6300; Aberdeen Angus, Echuca, Vic averaging $5200; and Quality Livestock Kimba's Phil Arcus bought his draft for a $4900 average.

Stud principal Nanni DiGiorgio said the solid bidding reflected the evenness of the lucerne-prepared bulls.

"We have had a couple of tough ones and while the good quality of bulls has not changed much from last year, we had a few more buyers which really helped," he said.