WHILE Warnertown's Goolagong stud achieved a complete clearance of its 40 Angus bulls at its on-property auction on Friday, a Santa Gertrudis bull stole the limelight, making the $12,000 top price.
The Tiller family were rewarded for their even draft of bulls, selling 17 more bulls than their 2019 sale and lifting the average price across the two breeds by $754.
Of the 16 Santa Gertrudis bulls offered, 13 sold, averaging $5642, while the 40 Angus bulls topped at $9000 and averaged $5488.
Goolagong also offered and sold three Sangus (Santa Gertrudis-Angus) to $6500, averaging $5167.
The sale-topping Santa Gertrudis was lot 49, Goolagong N193, an 18-month-old that weighed 952 kilograms and was an AI, embryo transfer-bred son of the $40,000 Glenn Oaks Jumbo Bwana J26 sire.
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N193 was bought by Scott Ferguson on behalf of the Diamond H stud, Wandoan, Qld. Mr Ferguson, who bred Glenn Oaks Jumbo Bwana J26, selected N193 for its growth, balance and excellent bone.
Diamond H also secured a second Jumbo Bwana son, Goolagong N195, weighing 980kg with an eye muscle area of 130 square centimetres.
The Diamond H stud is run by Shane Hatton, who also runs a large purebred Santa Gertudis commercial breeding operation across five properties.
Philip Reid, Newenham, Normanville, who recently bought a station at Cunnumulla, Qld, secured six bulls to $7000, averaging $4917.
These Santa Gertrudis bulls will be used over Shorthorn cows to establish a Santa Gertrudis-Shorthorn herd to breed for the feedlot market.
The top price Angus bull at $9000 was lot 5, Goolagong Emperor P104, which at 19 months of age weighed 832kg, with the highest average daily weight gain in the catalogue of 1.38kg. It was bought by repeat client Waterman Rural, Melrose.
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Their agent, Nutrien Livestock's Kelly Evans, said Waterman Rural was after a bull with good figures to use over heifers.
They sell yearling progeny at 350-400kg into Princess Royal's feedlot at Burra.
P104 was one of four ET-bred brothers in the sale.
Sired by Te Mania Emperor E343 and out of donor cow Pathfinder Ada F291, P104 had estimated breeding values of +4.4 for birthweight, +49 for 200-day weight, +89 for 400-day weight, +123 for 600-day weight and was +2.3 for intramuscular fat.
Having recently had rain across some of their station properties, Williams Cattle Company bought 18 bulls to $5500, averaging $4861.
Broad Cattle Company bought seven bulls, paying to $6000 and averaging $5429.
Nutrien stud stock auctioneer Richard Miller said the sale was a "very solid result in an area that has not had much rainfall in the last 24 months and cow numbers are low".
"It was a great result and strong clearance achieved, with a large volume buyer in Williams Cattle Company taking almost 50pc of the offering," Mr Miller said.
He described the Goolagong Angus offering as very even with good EBVs that will breed a consistent type and are easy fleshing.
"Its Santa Gertrudis are high growth elite genetics sired by leading Qld genetics that met strong stud and commercial competition," Mr Miller said.
Goolagong stud principal Heath Tiller was "over the moon" with the sale result.
"We really appreciate the support from local and repeat buyers in both breeds," Mr Tiller said.
The sale was conducted by Nutrien Livestock Jamestown.
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