THE Bettafield 12th Annual Bull Sale went off without a hitch in Emerald today, when 70 lots sold for a 99 per cent clearance rate, averaging $6565, with a top of $20,000.
The sale grossed $499,000, and offered bulls from the Bettafield (Stephen and Alison Kajewski) and 4 Ways (David and Lynette Whitechurch) studs.
Topping the sale was 4 Ways Kiwi who entered the ring as the first lot of the day, selling for $20,000 to Ian and Dell Price, Moongool Charolais, Yuleba.
Kiwi, a strong 26-month-old, 1170kg bull with a scrotal size of 44sq.cm was in strong demand after being named reserve champion Charolais bull at the Brisbane Royal Show last month.
Mr Price said he went to the sale with the intention of going home with Kiwi, who features Moongool bloodlines.
Sired by Moongool Elite, and coming out of Bettafield F60E (sire: Moongool Athol), Mr Price said he knew exactly what he was getting with the champion bull, who will be put in with Mr Price’s 900 breeders.
“He’s a horned bull but he’ll have to go in over some polled cows,” Mr Price said.
The second top priced bull was 4 Ways Kage who sold for $17,000 to Stephen Kajewski, Bettafield Charolais and Charbray.
The third top priced bull was Bettafield Kaspar, who sold for $16,000 in a joint purchase to Lisa McKinlay, Gogango, and CH and CT McKinlay, Bloowood, Yamala.
The volume buyer of the sale was the Neilson family, Two Rivers, Boulia, who bought eight bulls averaging $4500.
Also buying big was Ben Olive, Ben-Lee, Dingo, who bought four lots averaging $4750.
Joining Mr Olive with four bulls apiece were the Mayne family, Mullumbin (average: $6500), Alan and Rhonda Coyne, Cavendish, Alpha (average: $5625), and Guy Burton, Emerald (average: $3875).
4 Ways principal, David Whitechurch, Inverell, NSW, said he was thrilled with the sale, where he offered 20 of the 71 lots.
“We got way over what we expected… we are up a lot this year – we are probably up 30 per cent on last year,” he said.
Mr Whitechurch, alongside his wife Lynette and children Blake and Amy, runs a 150-breeder stud herd and said he was surprised Kiwi, not a polled sire, topped the sale.