BUYERS from five states made Pathfinder Angus stud's 25th annual SA bull sale at Naracoorte on Thursday one to remember, with a massive jump in average of nearly $5000.
In a $2.14 million pay day, the Moyle family achieved a full clearance of 132 bulls for a $16,220 average.
SA Angus Week's largest offering also attracted easily the biggest crowd too.
The 85 registered bidders from King Island, Tas to northern SA swarmed around the pens prior to the sale and packing out the stands for the more than 2.5 hour marathon sale.
Many more logged on through AuctionsPlus, including a buyer from Roma, Qld which bought the sale's final two lots.
The mainly long-time buyers pushed 26 bulls to $20,000 or more.
These highs were scattered throughout the catalogue, with the bulls lotted in age order.
Lot 7, Pathfinder Newly R41,topped the sale at $34,000.
The two-year-old was one the first son of Te Mania Newly N549 which Pathfinder had offered for sale.
The 898kg bull had the rare combination of calving ease as well as exceptional growth and thickness and docility, included a low birthweight of +2.0 and top 3pc for 400 and 600 day weight, scrotal and the Angus-L index.
Newly R41 was bought by Julie Wyatt, Mount Kincaid, Portland, Vic.
"We liked everything about him," she said.
Another Te Mania Newly son- lot 29- made the next highest price of $30,000.
The 880kg bull, which had traits ranking right at the top of the breed, including top 1pc for the Angus-L Breeding Index was bought by the Bowyer family, Powerscourt Pastoral, Robe.
The Bowyers again paid $30,000 for lot 59, Pathfinder Power R408, a Baldridge Beast Mode son.
For the second consecutive year, Alanvale Farms, Warrnambool, Vic, led the volume buyer list securing nine bulls to a $17,000 high and $14,000 average.
Penola Park, Mount Gambier, bought seven bulls for a $15,429 average and George Tait & Co, Retreat, Casterton, Vic, securing six bulls for a $18,167 average , paying to $23,000.
Retreat's steers sold to a $2570 high at Creek Livestock's blue ribbon weaner sale held on AuctionsPlus last month.
Peter Tait said Pathfinder's bulls "did well for them".
"They (The bulls) were value for money when you work out what we are getting for cattle," he said.
"If you work it out on the average price of 10 steers we never went over that in our buying."
Mr Tait said many of their clients were specifically looking for Pathfinder blood cattle.
Karowara, Naracoorte, who recently topped the Naracoorte sale with some steers, bought five lots for a $17,000 average.
The spring drop bulls section of the catalogue contained many of the sale's top picks, included lot 116, Pathfinder Reward R1010, which topped this age group, selling for $26,000.
The Esslemont Lotto L3 son sold to Chameleon Investments, Kingston SE.
Andrew and Tania Widdison, Kumara SE, Kalangadoo, put together five of these 35 spring drop bulls for a $15,800 average.
Our aim is simple: to have the most profitable customers in the livestock industry
Pathfinder stud's Elle Moyle said it was an "exceptional sale" and thanked their many repeat buyers for their continued support.
She said it had been fantastic to see so many of their clients topping weaner sales in southern markets and returning for the Pathfinder genetics.
"Our aim is simple: to have the most profitable customers in the livestock industry," she said.
"These are the best of the bulls that we have to offer, we breed a lot but we only put up the best ones."
Nutrien SA stud stock manager Gordon Wood said it was a "great sale".
"We have seen some higher averages in SA Angus Week this week but no one will surpass this in the numbers sold," he said.
"It is a hell of a sale to clear that number of bulls without any big pastoral orders or any person I could think of that grabbed 20 or more bulls, they were spread across a lot of buyers."
Mr Wood said the predictability and repeatability of the Pathfinder breeding program was "second to none" giving buyers confidence to buy there.
Fellow Nutrien auctioneer Richard Miller said it was a credit to the Moyle family for them to year after year put up bulls with leading Breedplan figures which also matched these numbers in the flesh. This gave the many buyers looking for multiple bulls plenty of options.
"Some sales we go to you might only have 10 bulls to operate on to buy six, you could have bought them with your eyes shut today," he said.
"Thirty or forty bulls would have ticked the box for people looking for the same traits, there was low birthweight heifer bulls with plenty of growth, plenty of IMF and fat right through the offering.
"It is testament to the program and the product they produce."
The sale was conducted by Nutrien Ag Solutions Naracoorte and Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson, Penola.
Pathfinder will offer another 130 bulls at its Victorian sale on Wednesday at its Gazette property, Penshurst.
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