FURNER-based Woonallee stud has set a new $30,000 Australian Black Simmental female record with an exceptional unmated heifer bred from an imported Canadian embryo.
The aptly named Woonallee Heaven Sent P4 was elevated in the catalogue of the forth Elite Ladies Female Sale from lot 226 to be the second lot through the ring.
After intense bidding, the 11-month-old offered by Tom and Lizzy Baker was knocked down to Dallas Kropp, Toowoomba, Qld, who was bidding online through Elite Livestock Auctions.
He has bought several top females from Woonallee’s program since he established his Dallas Ranch stud about three years ago, including a $15,000 half share in a Royal Adelaide Show interbreed champion heifer in 2016.
“When you have only got a very small number of females quality, genetics and pedigrees is even more important to breed females to build our numbers and hopefully a couple of bulls to help pay for her too,” Mr Kroop said.
The $30,000 price tag easily eclipsed Woonallee’s previous high for a stud female of $20,000 paid in 2015.
Heaven Sent was sired by Lewis Farms The Riddler 323B and out of the stud’s top donors, Heaven Sent 30X, who has bred bulls up to $92,500 in Canada.
“She is a really predictable cow and this mating to Riddler has been very successful for them,” Mr Baker said.
Mr Baker described Heaven Sent as a “really classy young female”.
“We were confident we needed to offer the good ones to get people here,” he said. “It is pretty well known that it pretty tough out there so if we can offer the good ones it brings people here which it has.”
Woonallee Firefly P267, a daughter of homebred sire Las Vegas, cracked five figures as well, and also sold to a Qld buyer.
The May 2018-drop with traditional markings sold for $15,000 to Lavarta Simmentals, Millmerran.
Females sold to all states of Australia, highlighting the stud’s standing in the Simmental breed, but the sale also represented some outstanding value for money.
In a total clearance, the 54 females averaged $5556, the three pregnancy-tested in-calf recipients averaged $5666 and seven semen packages of 10 straws each averaged $2000.
Bullock Hills Simmentals, Katanning, WA, paid $4200 for 10 straws of semen in Canadian sire MRL Missile, in the highlight of the genetic packages.
Elders auctioneer Ben Finch said a highlight of the sale was the “accessibility” of females with great value for money and so many repeat buyers.
“Where the cattle go they perform and they do what they say they will do, they are consistent, so people keep coming back,” he said.