A flurry of spirited bidding by those assembled at the Beef 2018 Ruralco marquee on the evening of Tuesday, May 8, led to great end result for the Droughtmaster vendors involved in the second Beef Genetic Focus Sale.
The sale was conducted by the team from Savage, Barker & Backhouse, Rockhampton with auctioneer Josh Heck taking the bids.
Mr Heck said the sale was held for the first time at Beef 2015, and the successful result led to its return this year.
“It was an initiative of the Droughtmaster vendors, they came to us to put something on, and we ended up selling heifers for $13,000 and straws for $800 each last time,” he said.
Live bidding for the sale was conducted by Elite Livestock Auctions, with founder and managing director Chris Norris, saying “buyers from all over the country were watching the sale unfold”.
Exquisite Droughtmaster females including semen and embryo packages sold well during the sale, which also saw a special Droughtmaster Foundation semen package sell for $6,000.
The semen pack comprising 30 straws from 10 elite Droughtmaster stud sires (three straws each) including Billabong Rockafeller, RSVP Jackpot, Calaanah Abraham, Vale View Ripper, Glenlands Invincible, Redskin Huckleberry, Ianbrae Wanted, Hamadra Kacoby, Skye Wilfred, and Glenlands D Lookalike, was purchased by Alex and Paige Gibbon, Stonebridge Droughtmasters, Brisbane.
Droughtmaster Association CEO Neil Donaldson thanked the vendors involved in the sale and those that generously donated straws for the charity lot, with the proceeds going to the Droughtmaster Foundation.
“The Foundation provides funds to support and facilitate educational and industry development opportunities for our young Droughtmaster breeders of the future,” Mr Donaldson said.
The sale got off to a flying start with Paul Lever, Leverdale Droughtmaster Stud, Cardwell, purchasing five straws and five registrations of the exciting young sire Oasis Dundee for $700 per straw, and Paul Laycock, High Country Droughtmasters, Toogoolawah, bought the beautifully fronted, ultra feminine Glenlands D Agnes for $10,000 in Lot 2.
A sexed embryo featuring a pairing of the young futuristic breeding female, Glenlands D 2453, and one of the studs’ all-time greats Glenland Pacific sold for $4500 in Lot 3, while Chris Heness, Ridgy Didge Droughtmasters, Goomeri, took home an 18-month-old daughter of Glenlands Substitute, Vale View M free, who is 11 weeks in calf to Vale View Armageddon 2, in Lot 4, for $5500. Mr Heness also took home Heitiki G82 Liberty in Lot 14.
A package full of promise and presence in Rondel Ugg Boots, Lot 5, a well-balanced, clean feminine type, displaying top shelf attributes across the board was purchased for $9500 by the Donaldson family, Medway Droughmasters, Bogantungan, and Darren Childs, Glenlands Droughtmasters, Theodore, bought a semen package at $600 per straw from the second top priced Droughtmaster bull of the 2014 selling season, Skye Wilfred, in Lot 6.
Oozing length, character, smoothness, and extension, Glenlands J Worthwhile (P), Lot 7, was purchased by John Weir, Gracemere, for $7000, and Warrick’s John Doyle took home a lovely natured heifer with a lot of strength and femininity, with a winning bid of $7000 for Billabong Gracie (P), Lot 8.
The first semen release of Rondel’s cornerstone sire Preston, offered in Lot 9, was snapped up by George Bartolo, Carrinyah Pastoral, Nebo, for $1000 per straw, and Lot 10, a poll filled with promise and maternal strength, Glenlands Wisteria (P), sold to Greg and Linda Nugent's, Carnudge Droughtmasters, Dayboro, for $10,000.
A choice of three semen packages (five straws) from Glenlands Pacific (AI) (IVF) (P), Glenlands Quartermaster (AI) (IVF) (P) or Glenlands Rambo (P) was purchased by Kelly Piggerskil, Theodore, in Lot 11 for $700 per straw, and Allan Gillies, Scrubby Mt Droughtmasters, Gin Gin, purchased the first publicly released semen package of pure poll Billabong Winchester, in Lot 12 for $450 per straw.
The sale was proudly supported by SBB Rockhampton, Rocky Repro and Just Genes.