SALE SUMMARY
2018 2017
Offered 62 90
Sold 61 90
Top $11,500 $12,500
Av $6828 $7056
FAST paced bidding produced a near total clearance and impressive $6828 average at Stoney Point Performance Angus stud’s 10th autumn SA bull sale at Naracoorte, on Monday.
In 2017 the stud enjoyed a leap in average of more than $1600 and this year held most of this ground, with an even lineup of 62 carcase merit bulls.
The stud had some of the younger bulls on offer in SA Angus Week but had great weight for age. Many tipped the scales over 800 kilograms at 19 to 21 months.
Adelaide Hills stud breeder Andrew Taylor, Kingarth stud, Nairne, secured the $11,500 top priced bull, Stoney Point Militant M232.
The July 2016 drop was an AI bred son of United States sire VAR Reserve 1111, with outstanding carcase traits.
This included a Breedplan retail meat yield of +2.4 – ranking in the top one per cent of the Angus breed.
“It is a moderate framed bull with good sheath and good estimated breeding values, especially the ones I look at – 600 day weight, eye muscle area and marbling,” Mr Taylor said.
“Some people don’t think marbling is important but to me it is for eating quality.”
Regular top end buyers, BT&E Ling, Mount Benson, bought the second and third highest priced bulls.
They paid $11,000 for Lot 9, Stoney Point Marvel M114 and a few lots later secured an impressive Matauri Reality 839 son for $10,500 at Lot 13.
Two other lots cracked $10,000.
Dick Whale, Independent Breeding Services, Wangaratta, Vic, who had structurally scored the sale bulls bought Lot 27 for Willalooka Pastoral Company, Willalooka.
GN&RA Skeer, Penola, bought the other five figured bull.
The strength of the sale was commercial buyers consistently raising their hands to $6000 to $8000.
Four commercial producers bought four bulls each.
Napier Pastoral, Willalooka, secured their draft for a $7750 average, including Lot 17 for $10,000.
GA Young & Sons, Kalangadoo, bought four bulls between $6000 and $7000 and Swan Brothers, Meningie secured their four for a $6375 average.
Also taking home four bulls was Spence Dix & Co’s Mallala based agent Daniel Griffiths.
Prior to the sale, Feast Fine Foods Richard Gunner selected Lot 5 as his ‘Butchers pick’, offering five kilograms of Coorong Angus Beef porterhouse steak to the buyer.
The soft fleshing bull proved one of the star lots,selling for $9500 to Artimore,Tintinara – one of their two buys.
Stoney Point also gave away a ‘Muscle Pack’ to the successful bidder of Lot 48- the bull with the highest eye muscle EBV in the catalogue at a massive +10.3.
The pack of Vitality Strength powder went to the Skeers for $8000.
Stoney Point director Perry Gunner was pleased with the strong average and crowd of 64 registered bidders, considering the drop in the market in the past 12 months.
“We had a good smattering of repeat and new buyers and there was definitely stronger demand for the heifer bulls,” he said.
“If you have a quality product you always get the result but it also shows there is still confidence in the industry.”
Mr Gunner said the first drop of bulls by calving ease sire, Matauri Reality had shone.
The 12 sons topped at $10,500 and averaged $8208.
Spence Dix & Co and Landmark conducted the sale with Jono Spence and Gordon Wood officiating the bids.
Stoney Point will offer 36 bulls at its Vic bull sale at Hamilton on February 28.