PATHFINDER Angus stud's SA bull sale produced many highs rather than one headline top price , with 14 bulls making $20,000 or more in the consistent quality offering.
In a two and a half hour selling marathon the Moyle family sold all 136 bulls for a $14,183 average at their Naracoorte sale complex.
Bulls in SA Angus Week's largest offering sold to four states and while the average was back about $2000 on 2022's sale the number of bulls sold was up.
The sale high of $30,000 was reached well into the catalogue at lot 99, Pathfinder Nationwide S1010
The exceptionally docile bull was a Rennylea Nationwide N482 son.
It had curve bending figures with a moderate birth weight but ranking in the top 1pc on the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation for 400 and 600 day growth at +129 and +173.
The 840kg bull also had positive rib fat (+2.4) which appealed to buyers David and Josh Harvey, King Island, Tas who have been buying since the first sale 26 years ago.
"His figures overall across the board were very good and he has so much length and depth," Josh said.
S1010 was one of three bulls which will be shipped back to King Island with the Harveys also buying lot 11 for $24,000 and lot 58 for $18,000.
The Harveys who run about 1000 Angus breeders sell their steers on hooks to HW Greenham & Sons abattoir.
Phil Cooper, Chameleon Investments and his Elders Kingston SE agent Nick Downward paid the second highest price, $28,000 for lot 56, Pathfinder Geddes S484.
The March drop which was a son of Varilek Geddes 7068 and out of a Te Mania Emperor E343 daughter was 934 kilograms and had a 400 day growth figure in the top 10pc.
Most of the bulls had multiple traits in the top 10 per cent or 20pc of the breed but it was those bulls with calving ease and suitable for heifer joinings which were particularly sought after.
Linda Marwood, Kingston SE, secured seven five-figured bulls for a $18,857 average, paying to $24,000.
The Widdison family, Kumara SE, Kalangadoo, had a late buying spree in the sale securing seven of the spring drops for a $10,714 average.
Nutrien Adelaide's Trevor Driver bought six bulls between $8000 and $10,000 for Canowie Cattle Co, Jamestown.
Western Vic buyers were also very strong including the Tait family, Retreat, Casterton, Vic, who secured four bulls to a $20,000 high twice.
In January they topped the Creek Livestock blue ribbon weaner sale in January with their Pathfinder blood steers making $1920.
Online bidding was another strength of the sale with eight active bidders on AuctionsPlus putting 88 bids on 47 lots and purchasing 15 lots.
Paraway Pastoral Co, Warren, NSW, bought eight of these to $14.000 multiple times.
Bidding fired up again when the younger spring drop bulls entered the ring. These 36 lots topped at $20,000 and averaged $12,528.
Stud principal Nick Moyle said it was a great result, especially to sell an extra four bulls but also have .seventeen bulls make $6000-$8000.
"That's what we want, affordable bulls for everyone and if you want a top notch one it is not going to send you broke," he said.
"It is so nice to see familiar faces back every year and we have had some great reports from buyers from the weaner sales so it has been fantastic
Mr Moyle said he could not have been more pleased with their four main sire lines which have left docile, well structured bulls.
Nutrien stud stock's Gordon Wood and Richard Miller commended the Moyle family for their consistent line up of cattle.
Mr Wood said they were great phenotype cattle and backed up by some terrific performance data.
"If you want good fleshing carcase bulls with a heap of data they are second to none, there are plenty of bulls with calving ease, low birth and IMF and any other traits you could want," he said.
Mr Miller said they were "genuine weight for age cattle that were not overdone or underdone".
"You would struggle to find a better line of bulls for presentation this week," he said.
"They were very consistent in type so people who had volume orders probably had 30 or 40 bulls selected to get a number of bulls they wanted."
Both Mr Wood and Mr Miller said the large number of registered bidders- 75- was also a sign that the cattle were performing in the commercial herds they were going into.
"We never seem to quite get any super high prices here but it is always a very solid sale and their business is very commercially focused," Mr Wood said.
"As they say in the cataogue their aim is to have the most profitable producers as clients."
Nutrien Naracoorte and TDC Livestock & Property conducted the sale.
On Wednesday, February 22 the Moyle family offer another 130 bulls at their Pathfinder Vic bull sale at Gazette near Penshurst.
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