A timed on-line sale of elite Hereford females has topped at $5500 and recorded a total clearance of live lots.
The Talbalba Opportunity Female Sale was held live on Elite Livestock Auctions website on March 31-April 1, drawing 30 registered bidders from Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland.
Mark Duthie, GDL Stud Stock, Dalby, Qld, said the sale was first of its kind held in Australia to offer high quality heifers joined to leading industry sires.
Overall, the 15 heifers offered by the Reid Family, Talbalba Herefords, Milmerran, Qld, averaged $3100.
The opening lot was a flush pick of the herd and sold for $4500 to Curracabark Herefords, Gloucester, NSW.
Jason Swayn, Purrumbete stud, Weerite, Vic, paid the equal top price of $5500 for Talbalba Advance K140, a daughter of Devon Court Advance F052 and joined to Yarram Unique F181.
Mr Swayn also purchased Talbalba Lioness K53, a Bowmont Storm C115 daughter joined to Yarram Unique F181, for $5500, and Talbalba Choice K164 for $4000.
A 2014 drop daughter of Tycolah Jack Flash F82, Talbalba Choice K98, sold to James and Nicki Pearce, YavenVale stud, Adelong, NSW, for $4000. The heifer was joined to Wirruna Fort F382 and has a grainfed index in the top five per cent of the breed.
Volume buyers were Paul and Angela Durkin, Valley View Stud, Warialda, NSW, with $4000 for Talbalba Valuer K76, $3000 for Talbalba Choice K33, $3000 for Talbalba Minerva K70 and $2000 for Talbalba Lioness K44.
Lachy Day, Days Whiteface, Bordertown, SA, bought a Wirruna Fort F382 daughter, Talbalba Choice K64, for $3000.
Commercial Hereford breeder Peter Kerwick, Texas, Qld, paid $2000 each for two heifers.
Six semen straws in Cootharaba Magnum sold for $130 each to Ken McCallum, Viewfield stud, Binda, NSW.
Geoff Birchnell, Avignon stud, Tamworth, paid $20 a straw for 10 straws of Talbalba Wallace H83, and John House, House stud, College Grove, WA, paid $120 a straw for 10 straws in R5XH83.
Talbalba principal Steve Reid decided to go ahead with the on-line format after watching on-sales run in the US and Canada.
“We had over 9000 hits on the on-line catalogue and it was a solid sale,’’ Mr Reid said.
“We only wanted to offer a limited number of cattle and there was not enough to have a sale (on-property).
“We wanted to open the buying spread as far as we can and found people are more willing to buy females off videos and estimated breeding values than they are bulls.’’
Mr Reid said the sale was believed to be the first timed on-line female auction in Australia, and a first for the Hereford breed.
“There has been strong demand from stud and commercial breeders for females and we have sold all but the tail of our females into breeding operations,’’ he said.
“There are larger areas of southern Queensland with reasonable breeder numbers and we had two buyers from Inglewood and Texas.
“Once Queenslanders start to restock there will be a demand for Hereford females – the north west and western areas are getting short of breeders.’’
Mr Reid said the breed continued to make in-roads into the crossbreeding market, selling Hereford bulls into Brahman and Santa Gertrudis cow herds.