A CHANCE to secure an impressive outcross Wagyu heifer in-calf to one of the breed's exciting new sires saw bidding top at $86,000 at Mayura's fourth annual production sale at Millicent last week.
The full blood heifer- lot 3- Mayura S0115-which was a daughter of Canadian sire WSI Kanadagene M256 was carrying a sexed female foetus sired by Mayura Rampage in the first release of his genetics.
The dam's full brother was slaughtered in October last year and its 486 kilogram carcase was a marble score 12 with a 103 square centimetre eye muscle area.
The sale topper sold to repeat buyer Hewitt Pastoral Enterprises, HP Wagyu, Taroom, Qld.
The auction may not have reached the lofty heights of 2022 when a Mayura heifer sold for $245,000 and 45 lots of bulls, females and genetic packages grossed nearly $2.5 million, but the de Bruin family's 2023 sale still attracted an Australia wide and international gallery of buyers from the United States, Phillipines and Ireland.
The four PTIC heifers averaged $37,000, while 22 unjoined heifers averaged $25,591.
Nine bulls- which were only 15-16 months of age- averaged $48,556 and topped at $74,000 for lot 17, Mayura Stallone S2581.
Many astute buyers had lot 17 as their pick but it was Spinifex Pastoral, Swan Hill, Vic, who secured Stallone with their Redbank manager Darren Jenke from Lucindale doing the bidding.
The 16 month old bull was described n the catalogue as a "potential super star in the making"
"The figures show good genetics for eye muscle and marbling which you can't see but coming from a traditional beef background I still like to see an animal that has shape to it, depth and width which he has," Mr Jenke said.
"He doesn't look like a traditional Wagyu bull."
Mr Jenke said the 546 kilogram bull's pedigree was "spot on" as well being sired by Macquarie Wagyu Q0291 and a grand son of Coates Itoshigenami G113 which has had a big infuence on the breed.
Stallone's dam, Mayura L0552,was a full sister to Mayura Notorious which sired Mayura's grand champion entry in the 2022 Australian Wagyu Association Branded Beef Competition. Notorious is also an industry trait leader for REA.
Semen will be collected from Stallone to be used in an AI program on Redbank's 100 Wagyu females and he will likely be used to back them up.
"About four or five years ago we had an opportunity to buy some Wagyu cows that had been on agistment and we have been breeding up from there," Mr Jenke said.
Spinifex Pastoral also joins about 300 Angus heifers at their Tintinara properties to Wagyu bulls to breed F1s which are in demand.
United States buyers Reid and Jaclyn Smith, Wilders Wagyu, Clayton, North Carolina, secured the $60,000 highest price unjoined heifer, lot 7 Mayura S0337.
The March 2021 drop was a daughter of Quantum is one of the largest bulls at Mayura. As a rising four year old he weighs nearly 1000kg.
The Smiths who are in Australia for the national Wagyu conference next week said it was the "Mayura brand and their genetics" that encouraged them to attend the sale.
They also bought lot 14, Mayura S0024 for $32,000.
Wilders Wagyu runs about 300 full bloods and also sells their beef into retail stores and restaurants.
The sale's volume buyers were Glen Wright and his son Hudson, Wright Pastoral who secured seven females to a $22,000 high twice as well as a yearling bull in lot 21 for $38,000.
They run an elite full blood herd at Brookvale at Koreelah on the Qld-NSW border and produce F2 and F3 commercial cattle at three properties in the Ebor area.
Mr Wright said the sale represented good value and a chance to buy recessive free genetics.
"Long term luxury meat will always have a place in the market and we are long term investors in the full blood Wagyu game," he said.
"We see it has a huge future and Australian producers are getting better and better at producing high marbling beef and Mayura is probably the best in the country."
Mayura stud principal Scott de Bruin said he was really happy with the result which saw 35 lots average $32,800.
"I knew that this year would not be as extreme as last year but to average $32,000 across the lot is a fantastic result," he said.
He said it was really satisfying to see the support from repeat clients, many who have been buying since their first sale.
Mr de Bruin also noted that the 2023 sale catalogue was their best offering.
"This year we had a lot more carcase results on the female side which is pretty rare to do, normally we have a lot more information on the sires," he said.
"All good cattle start with quality females and this year's mothers of the lots were exceptional."
Selling agent Harvey Weyman-Jones from Weyman-Jones and Co was also pleased with the result
"Because the market has come back from last year we didn't expect to have that strong a sale but it was up to our expectations," he said.
Mr Weyman-Jones said Mayura was arguably the number one Wagyu stud in Australia with their success coming from the large number of cattle performance recorded in their vertically integrated business.
"To be able to come to Mayura and see the quality of the cattle is really special," he said.
"These cattle are always going to be good because they have been selected from the very best of the commercial carcases."
GDL conducted the sale with Peter Brazier and Mark Duthie the auctioneers.
