A larger offering of Angus bulls with tremendous carcase merit and growth for age provided plenty of opportunities for buyers at Granite Ridge stud's 16th annual on-property sale at Avenue Range.
The average was back nearly $3000 on a sensational 2022 sale but the big plus for stud principal Scott Finlay and his family was selling an extra eight bulls.
In the breakdown 101 of 109 autumn and spring 2021 drop bulls averaged $10,228.
After an opening bid of $14,000 to kick off lot 1 it seemed the sale would again be very strong but not surprisingly it failed to reach the $30,000 plus highs of last year.
Many buyers came with $15,000 to $16,000 budgets but there were also 42 bulls make $6000 to $8000.
The sale high of $20,000 was reached twice.
Gippsland stud breeders Daniel and Ann Marie Barrow, Merlewood Angus, Mirboo North, Vic were successful on the first of these- lot 13, Granite Ridge Supertrooper S96.
Mr Barrow - who bid over the phone through Elders South East of SA area manager Scott Altschwager - said the 840 kilogram son of Millah Murrah Paratrooper P15 had appealed for its sound structure, quiet temperament and type, as well as very strong maternal line.
Supertrooper S96, a March 2021 drop, was out of Granite Ridge Quiet M102.
"Finding proven cow lines in the industry with some substance behind them is not that easy,": he said.
"We have followed Granite Ridge for a while and have a lot of faith in their program, we have missed out on bulls in the past so it is nice to get one."
Mr Barrow said it also had some "sound data" including direct calving ease of +9.7 and low birth weight of +1.0.
Lot 20, Granite Ridge Sazerac S483 made the same money.
The AI bred son of United States sire GB Fireball was the heaviest of the spring drop bulls weighing 896kg at 17 months of age. Sazerac had the EBVs to match ranking in the top 10pc for all three growth traits and mature cow weight.
Buyer Phil Cooper, Chameleon Investments, Kingston SE, said he made up his mind that lot 20- which had been shown as a yearling- was the bull he wanted for his commercial herd of 260 autumn calving and 60 spring calving cows.
"With his thickness and butt shape he stood out," Mr Cooper said.
"He was in with older bulls and was not out of place."
Another Paratrooper son in lot 3, Granite Ridge Supertrooper S147, was knocked down to Berko Group, Mount Gambier for $19,000.
JG&CK Clarke, Kingston SE secured lot 5, a son of US sire Bruns Blaster for $19,000.
Volume buyers taking home four bulls or more from as far afield as Warrnambool, Vic and the Adelaide Hills underpinned the sale's healthy clearance.
Hugh and Clare Bainger, Hillcrest Pastoral Company, Avenue Range, with their advisor Libby Creek led the volume buyers with 12 bulls to a $13,000 high, averaging $9750 for them.
These will go to their Conkar Plains property.
Another long-time supporter, Kangaroo Island cattleman Peter Murray secured nine bulls for a $11,667 average, paying $14,000 for three of them.
The Seears family, Boonderoo Pastoral Company, Conmurra, who sold an impressive draft of weaners at Naracoorte in January, bought seven bulls for a $10,286 average.
CP&JL Holloway, Kingston SE secured five bulls to $11,000 for a $9000 average.
Earlier in the day 52 Granite Ridge's rising two year old commercial Angus cows which had calved in the past couple of weeks to Granite Ridge Recruit R410 sold on AuctionsPlus.
They made $3660 to $4020.
Mr Finlay was "stoked" with the bull sale result and feedback from their repeat clients.
Four years after buying the stud from Colin Flanagan and Pat Ebert he said it was great to see their mating decision for the herd performing well.
"We love the way we are going and we are having a ball doing what we are doing," he said.
Granite Ridge's spring calving herd manager Joel Stuart said it was a "good day out".
"There were a few buyers that came and got bulls that missed out last year so it was pleasing to see them get an opportunity this year," he said.
Elders auctioneer Laryn Gogel said although the sale did not reach the 2022 heights it was still a strong result.
"All we have done is wind the clock back a little bit, we went away from a $36,000 top last year to $20,000's which is pretty credible in an environment where things (the market) have softened up a bit," he said.
"It was a day that if you set your sights right you could of shopped well with a lot of $6000-$8000 bulls on the back end and then $12,000 to $16,000 in the middle."
Mr Gogel said the rising two year old bulls were probably 50kg lighter than the stud had hoped due to the "tough winter" last year but said both the autumn and spring drops were a "very credible" draft of bulls.
"They were consistent and people could see the type Granite Ridge is aiming for," he said.
"The modern day cattleman wants a bull that is going to be pretty easy to manage, he is moderate frame, he is really deep he is soft and has a lot of red meat."
Granite Ridge is planning another sale in the middle of the year which will feature about 35 spring 2021 drop bulls.
Elders Kingston conducted the sale.
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