Lakeside Simmental stud held its sixth annual on-property sale at Robe on Wednesday last week, with enthusiastic cattle producers bidding to new heights.
The strong competition helped lift the top price to $17,000 - easily exceeding the stud's previous best of $11,000 in 2018.
Twenty-three of 29 bulls were sold - six more than last year - for an average of $7065, a rise of $1653 from 2020.
Lakeside Quantum Q007, a rich red 23-month-old bull bull sired by Glen Anthony Y-Arta that weighed 828 kilograms with an eye muscle area of 132 square centimetres, made the top price to repeat commercial client Allan Chaplin, Tintinara.
Mr Chaplin has great success using Simmental bulls over Shorthorn cows and sells progeny straight off their mums at eight to 10 months of age. He recently received more than $5/kg for weaners weighing about 350kg.
He also secured a second bull, Mt Ararat Jet son Lakeside Qawwal Q119, for $8000.
The second-highest price bull was the very impressive lot 1, Lakeside Qantas, sired by Rendezvous Galba 60A. Qantas was 23 months old and weighed 884kg with a very impressive 139sqcm EMA, and sold for $12,000 to repeat clients Artimore & Partners, Tintinara.
The volume bull buyer was Appleton Pastoral, Yarmina Station, Charters Towers, Qld, which secured six bulls to $11,000, averaging $6917. Five of these bulls were sons of the consistent breeding Mt Ararat Marcus.
Appelton Pastoral was operating via phone, being assisted by Vaughan Campagnolo.
Mr Campagnolo was selecting bulls that were polled with a good skin and softness that displayed functional traits and quiet temperament. These bulls will be used over Simmental and Simmental infused cows.
Alva Downs, Tahara, Vic, bought three bulls, paying to $10,500 for lot 3, Lakeside Queensland Q003, a son of Anchor D Gunner 60Z.
Lakeside also offered 48 females, comprising of weaned heifers, pregnancy-tested in-calf heifers, mated cows and cows with calves at-foot.
Fifteen April/May 2020-drop heifers were offered, with 12 selling to $5000, averaging $2875. Thirteen 2019-drop PTIC heifers were offered and sold to $6500, averaging $4576.
Four of the nine PTIC cows offered sold to $4000, averaging $3375, while 11 cows with calves at-foot were offered, with eight selling to $4750 twice and averaging $4508.
A number of females were sold after the auction.
The volume female buyer was Trent Boers, Holbrook, NSW, who secured six PTIC heifers at $4000 each, two PTIC cows at $3000 each and two cows with bull calves at $4000 each.
"These were quality cattle and good value buying with the current cattle market," Mr Boers said.
"I was selecting visually for dark red with a white fleck traditional type."
Mr Boers runs about 200 Simmental-Shorthorn cows.
The $5000 top price weaned heifer, Lakeside Rahma R069, sired by FSMB Pol Eddy, was knocked down to Tolhverrae Simmental stud, Padthaway.
This heifer was selected by Darren Rothe and his son Xavier, who plans to show the heifer this year.
"We really liked this show prospect heifer with her traditional colour and dark red goggles," Mr Rothe said.
Tolhverrae also bought a cow with a heifer calf at-foot last year to show with their children but unfortunately COVID-19 forced the cancellation of many shows in 2020.
Elders auctioneer Laryn Gogel said this year's offering was the most consistent group of sale bulls Lakeside had offered in five years, and they were rewarded at the top end of the catalogue.
"There was buoyant competition on the young females with modern genetics," Mr Gogel said.
"Lakeside Simmentals have a very positive future with new genetics and very good temperament displayed in the young cattle coming through."
Elders Kingston were the selling agents.
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