A positive trend for improved clearances and sale averages continued on cue at the Advance bull sale in Roma on Saturday.
The 78 black and red Angus and 27 Charolais bulls averaged $5217 and achieved a clearance of 96 per cent for a sale gross of $516,500.
First cab off the rank Black Angus sire Acacia K14 topped the sale at $15,000 and was purchased by Yarrawonga Cattle Company after stud principle Andrew Bassingthwaighte awarded the bull the grand champion ribbon as part of his Royal Queensland Show judging duties.
Prior to collecting accolades at the Ekka, the bull also took home champion ribbons in the Taroom Show superbull challenge and the Roma Show interbreed class.
By a winning combination of imported semen from UK bred Lorabar Mighty Prince and long running Acacia bloodlines on the dam side, the top priced bull weighed in at 1100kg and offered a 40cm scrotal measurement and an EMA of 137sq.cm.
Acacia Angus Stud breeding manager Dave Thomson said he had committed to the stud’s bull selection and breeding program with a focus on out-crossing genetics.
“Our aim is to diversify the Angus genetic pool in Australia and achieve an all-round moderate Angus to suit a lot of markets,” Mr Thomson said.
“The bigger framed bulls sold better today but not only that the top bull showed the length, top line, skin type and weight for age that buyers are looking for.”
Standing by his Ekka judging decision, purchaser Andrew Bassingthwaighte said he purchased the bull for use in embryo transfer programs.
“We do a lot of embryo work with our Santas and breed our own recipient cows so we need to find bulls with the frame and size to give us easy calving,” he said.
“You can buy the best Angus bull for between $15,000 and $20,000 and you can buy an average one for about $8000- we appreciate great cattle and we couldn’t resist when he was selling for that money.”
Charolais bull Advance Kody K13 sold for $13,000 to Lindsay and Belinda Hindle, Fairfield Charolais, Roma.
Mr Hindle said the polled red factor sire would slot in neatly as a stud sire for his operation.
“He’s got that lovely softness with a lot of capacity and performance and a beautiful broad head- he’s a very hard bull to fault,” he said.
“He’s out of a sister to Advance XR8 which should keep him genetically solid so he’s a quality bull right through.”
Mr Hindle said the bull would be mated with about 30 pure Charolais select stud cows for a single sire joining and he was considering collecting semen for a donor cow embryo transfer program.
Advance bull sale coordinator Steve Hayward said it was a rewarding sale in terms of clearance and increases in the sale average while buyers attending from a wide spanning area confirmed the positive feel of the current cattle market.