Grand champion bull Valley View Sandman S030 which sold to Nunniong Herefords, Ensay, for the top price of $30,000.
Repeat stud buyers wanting outcross genetics pushed prices to $30,000 at the 2023 Dubbo National Poll Hereford Sale.
Held at the Dubbo showground on June 6, the sale was interfaced with AuctionsPlus and drew 69 registered buyers.
In the live lots, 48 bulls sold under the hammer from the 82 offered for a top price of $30,000, gross of $448,500 and average of $9343.
In the females, eight sold from the nine offered to top at $10,000, gross $52,000 and average $6500 to give an overall sale gross for the live lots of $500,500 and average of $8937.
A package of four embryos sold for $1000 each.
Phil “Bluey” Commins, Nunniong Herefords, Ensay, Victoria, bid the top price of $30,000 over the phone to secure the grand champion bull Valley View Sandman S030 (P).
Sandman was offered by Paul and Angela Durkin, Valley View Poll Herefords, Warialda, NSW, and was a July 2021 drop son of Injemira Anzac H006 M187.
Weighing 934kg, the bull scanned with a raw eye muscle area of 135sqcm and on BREEDPLAN had an eye muscle area of +5.7sqcm, a carcase weight of +66kg and 600-day weight of +94kg.
Repeat buyers Pat and Kerrie Bredhauer, Lambert Pastoral Company, Charleville, Qld, outlaid the second top price of $28,000 for reserve junior champion bull Grathlyn Serenity S058 (AI) (PP), sold by Max and Andrew Rayner, Grathlyn Pastoral Company, Hargraves, NSW.
Sired by Grathlyn Pacifier, the August 2021 drop bull weighed 910kg, and had a raw eye muscle area of 133sqcm. Serenity had a BREEDPLAN 600-day weight of +111kg, carcase weight of +72kg, an eye muscle area of +3.9sqcm and ranked in the top 20 per cent for intramuscular fat at +1.1.
Mr Bredhauer liked Serenity’s length, conformation, eye pigment and outcross genetics.
The family were coming off a successful commercial Hereford sale at Blackall of Lambert genetics and would like to expand the sale.
Nelson and Randall Carlow, Kidman Poll Herefords, Dubbo, partnered with Jeff and Robyn Holcombe, Rayleigh Poll Herefords, Narrabri, to pay $20,000 for the junior champion LH Wagerer T023 (AI) (PP) offered by Ross Lee, Lee Way Herefords, Ootha, NSW.
Nelson Carlow liked the outcross genetics, structural soundness, length and muscle pattern of the young sire.
“All his BREEDPLAN figures are above average with a good EMA, IMF (intramuscular fat) and growth with positive (rib and rump) fat – he will work into our program really well for our spring calving,” he said.
Vendors Ben and Annabelle Monie, Thornleigh Herefords, Little Plain, NSW, sold Thornleigh Anzac S173 (AI) (S), an August 2021 drop son of Allendale Anzac K4, to Neil and Carmel Croker, Taralga, for $18,000. The bull weighed 876kg and scanned with an eye muscle area of 125sqcm.
Bruce and Pam Gunning, Emu Holes Herefords, Quirindi, NSW, and Brett Young, Rochester, Vic, outlaid $17,000 for Grathlyn Startup S008 (AI) (PP), a son of New Zealand sire Limehills Starter and offered by Max Rayner, Grathlyn Pastoral Company.
“He is a complete bull with the typical Hereford characteristics I look for – it is an outcross for us,” Mr Gunning said.
Senior champion bull Llandillo Soldier S42 (TW) (PP), a son of Grathlyn Pacemaker and weighing 968kg, was sold by Llandillo Poll Herefords, The Lagoon, NSW, to Bareela Pastoral Company, Barraba, NSW, for $17,000.
Bareela Pastoral also paid $12,000 for reserve senior champion Thornleigh Mayfair S157 (P), a son of Wirruna Mayfair M124, sold by Thornleigh Herefords and $10,000 for Neridah Synergy S006 (AI) (PP).
Gavin Alston, Orange, NSW, paid the top price in the females of $10,000 for reserve senior champion Grathlyn Careless R011 (PP), a September 2020 drop daughter of Grathlyn Nomination, and with her spring drop bull calf, Grathlyn T023, by Boyd Blueprint.
Grand champion female Llandillo Tigeress S160 (P) was sold by LLandillo Poll Herefords for $7000 to Andrew and Jessica Quirk, Pinnacle Poll Herefords, Forbes, NSW, for $7000.
Ken and Liz Ikin, Cloverlee Poll Herefords, Bannister, NSW, snapped up the junior champion female Llandillo Diana T46 (P) from Llandillo Poll Herefords for $8000 for their grandchildren.
Mr Ikin said the Llandillo Principality daughter would be shown at the Herefords Australia Youth Expo at Parkes next month.
“I came here to have a look but I saw this heifer and we bought her for our grandchildren to take to Parkes with several of our own heifers. She ticked the bill with her BREEDPLAN figures with IMF of +1.1 and +5.3 EMA, and the pedigree is pretty special,” he said.
Nutrien Livestock stud stock manager John Settree, Dubbo, said the sale was underpinned by commercial producers such as Bareela Pastoral with their truck load of five bulls to $17,000.
Mr Settree said commercial producers were selective and had reduced their bull requirements in line with a drop in cattle prices and dry seasonal conditions.
“Those top end bulls always find their mark with the studs seeking genetics, data or phenotype.
“There was a good line up of quality females giving studs an opportunity to add onto their program or start a new family.”
Dubbo National Poll Hereford Show and Sale Committee Chairman Andrew Rayner is retiring after 13 years at the helm.
Mr Rayner oversaw the sale evolving through COVID with video live streaming and improved catalogues.
Grathlyn Poll Herefords was the most successful exhibitor of the show and sale.
Selling agents for the National were Elders and Nutrien Ag Solutions.