Rennylea Angus clears catalogue as bulls sell into six states and territories

The auction reached a top price of $32,000 to average $14,333.

Bulls from the sale on Tuesday, March 12 are destined for Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory, Victoria and NSW.

The top-priced bull, Rennylea T912, was purchased by South Australian operation Princess Royal Station, Burra.

By Rennylea Q765 and out of Rennylea P656, the bull had estimated breeding values that sat in the top five per cent of the breed with +89 carcase weight and +14.3 eye muscle area.

Other EBVs included +1.4 retail beef yield, and 200-day, 400-day and 600-day weights of +62, +105 and +146, respectively.

The 19-month-old bull was used as a yearling in the stud's 2023 spring joining and weighed 690 kilograms, while he measured a scrotal circumference of 40 centimetres.

Princess Royal Station livestock and freight manager Luke Bavistock said the operation purchased Rennylea T912 for his combination of good data and phenotype.

The SA operation consists of a 25,000-head feedlot at Burra, north of Adelaide, along with a 2000 Angus cow breeding operation in the Flinders Ranges at Wertaloona Station.

"We were targeting the right statistics for the feedlot market, really," he said.

"We bought bulls here last year and they are all still going well, so we thought we'd come back again.

"They do have some rough terrain up there [in the Flinders] so finding those bulls that last is the hard part."

The operation's main market is for their own feedlot but they also supply European Union cattle to Teys Australia, Wagga Wagga, while also supplying cattle for a 100-day grain fed program and some domestic kill cattle to supermarkets.

"It's up to 1000 cattle going out each week, and the same coming in," Mr Bavistock said.

"We keep a percentage of our heifers every year with the rest going through the feedlot, we probably retain 300 to 400 heifers."

Due to drought a few years ago, the program is still rebuilding their breeding cow operation after having to sell 6000 breeders.

Princess Royal was also the volume buyer, taking home a total of 10 bulls to average $17,200.

The second top-priced bull at $30,000 was Rennylea T209, purchased by McRae Pastoral, Goondiwindi, Qld.

By Moogenilla Quinella Q33 and out of Rennylea Eisa Erica Q99, the 19-month-old bull was described in the catalogue as being an excellent heifer bull, that was easy doing, sound and one that would breed progeny to meet market specifications.

He ranked in the top 5pc for EMA at +12.5 and intramuscular fat at +5.3.

There were several other volume buyers operating including Mannus Ag Pty Ltd, Greg Greg, north of Corryong, Vic, who purchased seven bulls for a top of $22,000 to average $16,000, while Douglas Grazing Trust, St George, Qld, purchased five bulls to a top of $20,000 with an average of $15,600.

Maaoupe Downs Cattle Company, Maaoupe, SA, purchased four bulls to average $13,500.

Senior stud principal Bryan Corrigan opened the sale acknowledging the success of their clients who participated in the 2024 Beef Spectacular Feedback Trial.

Multiple clients had placed in the top 10 overall and for eating quality, including Dane and Alison Skinner, Big Springs, who finished second overall.

Rennylea Angus stud principal Ruth Corrigan said the stud was very pleased with the result of the sale and appreciated the support from volume and return clients.

"It's certainly better than we had hoped," she said.

The stud has recently changed from a split calving operation to solely spring calving with a tight six-week joining period.

Rennylea offered and sold 334 bulls at auction in 2023, making it one of the most influential NSW studs.

The sale was conducted by Nutrien Paull and Scollard, Albury, with Andrew Wishart and Peter Godbolt, Nutrien Stud Stock as auctioneers.

AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.