REPEAT buyers were the strength of Waterfront Simmental stud's eighth annual premier genetic sale on Friday, but even with tri-state bidding the pendulum swung in the buyers' favour.
In the breakdown 16 of 25 high-quality Simmental bulls averaged $3281, while six of seven black and red Simmental-Angus bulls averaged $3667 at the Naringa sale complex, Naracoorte.
Each of these categories reached a $5000 high but 15 bulls were knocked down at the $3000 base price.
The stud achieved a great depth of quality in the catalogue, but the sale just lacked a few more orders for the Hodge family to be rewarded for their efforts.
Repeat Waterfront buyers Gerry and Sandra Hanning, Meadow Park Fleckviehs, Crookwell, NSW, were the first of the 22 registered bidders to bid to $5000, for 19-month-old Waterfront Jarman J117.
The 952kg bull was an imported NZ embryo from the top-price heifer at the Wai-iti dispersal.
"We liked his pollness and German bloodlines - he is a good size for a poll bull and has a good temperament," Mr Hanning said.
Scott and Emily Davidson, Morton Simmentals, Marcollat, outlaid $5000 for Red Angus-Simmental bull Waterfront J108 packed full of muscle with an eye muscle area of 135 square centimetres. The July 2013-drop weighed 904kg.
The other $5000 bull - a Simmental-Angus - Waterfront J2 went to OJ Jones & Co, Mount Gambier.
Among the volume buyers Western Vic vealer producer Ross Kerr, Dartmoor, bought three bulls at $3000, and Bruce and Sandra Jorgensen, Mummulgum, NSW, bought three between $3000 and $3500.
The 45 commercial Simmental-Red Angus weaner heifers were extremely good buying, averaging $711.
The top 11 whiteface heifers were bought by Peter Missen through Charles Stewart and Co, at $850.
It was the last sale for the Hodge family, who recently announced the sale of the Waterfront cow herd including the six catalogued stud sale heifers to Lily and Dong Cattle Pty Ltd, who operate a Simmental breeding program in northern China and have recently bought a property at Robe.
They have registered the prefix Lakeside Simmentals and will hold their first bull sale in 2016 at the Naringa sale complex with the bull calves purchased from Waterfront.
Catherine Miller
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
