SALE SUMMARY
2019 2018
Offered 100 101
Sold 98 101
Top $30,000 $52,500
Av $7102 $9287
WOONALLEE Simmental stud at Furner set a high benchmark for the 2019 SA bull selling season with a $30,000 top price on Thursday and near total clearance.
But there was also some of the best value buying at the sale in years with nearly 60 per cent of the catalogue, offered by Tom and Lizzy Baker, knocked down for $4000 to $6000.
A South East wide Telstra outage which forced the suspension of the sale for half an hour just two pens in, definitely had an impact on the final result.
Once two landlines were connected Elders auctioneer Ben Finch restarted the sale but the more than 40 buyers registered through Elite Livestock Auctions from across Australia had limited ability to operate.
The crowd of more than 300 people were animated in their bidding though especially for Lot 6, the sale topper.
New Zealand breeders Tom and Adeline Sanson, Gold Creek Simmentals, Gisborne, raised their hands high for the first son offered by Sibelle Dirty Harry.
The Sansons said they were attracted to Woonallee Notice N141 for its outcross genetics, structural correctness and also fat cover.
“Structurally he was pretty much perfect which is so important for us in NZ that we have no feet problems and he is as soft as butter,” Mr Sanson said.
The 22-month-old weighed 860 kilograms and also had good balance of Breedplan figures.
“He is a placid, well-made bull that has so much versatility,” Mr Baker added.
Overall Woonallee sold 98 of 100 Simmental and SimAngus bulls at its 12th annual elite production sale for a $7102 average
The $21,500 second highest priced lot– another traditional coloured bull – also went to stud duties.
Lily Xu and Dong Zhu, Lakeside Simmentals, Robe, were the successful buyers of Lot 66, Woonallee Napoleon N462, a polled son of Woonallee Lady Killer L15.
‘We can see the potential and we were very satisfied with his bloodlines,” she said.
The sale failed to reach the dizzy heights of some years but 15 bulls still made $10,000 or more.
Most of these five-figured bulls were traditional coloured bulls with 35 of 36 in the sale averaging $9103.
The Black Simmentals were also very solid with 44 of 45 averaging $6311 and topping at $12,500.
This was for Lot 24, Woonallee Nickel N90, knocked down to Caralma Black Simmentals, Birdwood.
The 890kg bull was sired by SS/PRS High Voltage 2244X.
Boomey Park, Molong, NSW, bought in the top end of the catalogue with four bulls for a $15,125 av.
Their tally included polled bull Lot 1, Woonallee Nashville N39, for $17,000 which had a pedigree containing some top South African genetics.
Among the multiple buyers MH Marwood, Kingston, secured five bulls to $10,000 av $5400 and LS Johnson & Son, Naracoorte, bought four bulls to $5000 three times, averaging $4750.
Duck Island Partners, Keith, outlaid $12,000 for the top SimAngus bull in Lot 93, Woonallee Licorice N202.
KJ&HA McGrath, Millicent, were the volume SimAngus buyer with five bulls for a $4200 average.
“We have certainly averaged more than that over the years but it is really pleasing all our local guys that probably have struggled to get bulls in the past all got bulls,” Mr Baker said.
“That is the greatest thing, for us it is all about repeat clientele.”
Mr Finch said the sale was a “huge success”, especially to have a near total clearance with much of Australia so dry season wise.
“You go 200 kilometres north of here and you have to go a long way into Qld before you find a good patch again so the support was always going to be from here,” he said.
“At the same there was still good support from Vic and into NSW.”
Mr Finch said the Bakers’ considerable investment in top quality genetics had shone through in the line-up with the stud remaining a leader in traditional Simmental breeding as well as advancing its Black Simmental program.
‘It was almost a tale of two different products with a tremendously strong local contingent that have been with the traditional program since its inception and long-term support from interstate stud breeders,” he said.
“The evenness was unbelievable in those black bulls but we saw them much more moderately priced with many new buyers.”