There was plenty of distant family support at Friday's red-hot Clunie Range bull sale with the top priced yearling calf going to a cousin while the top-priced two year old bull went back to the original Guest family farm and the volume buyer was yet another cousin - and first time client!
But there was really no need for such a helping hand with a full sale clearance of 140 bulls topping twice at $24,000 and averaging $8314 to net $1.16 million in what stud principal Brett Guest described as the most satisfying auction in the stud's history, given three years of dire drought in the Wallangra district.
With little local support, only because of a lack of grass, it was up to an army of loyal clients to make up any shortfall, sending bulls from south of the border into Victoria to central western Queensland and east, over the dividing range, to the North Coast
Bidding competition never let up from the get-go with Elders Toowoomba auctioneer Michael Smith fully match-fit for the occasion and never once pausing for breath.
Crucially, most bulls selling for more than $10,000 were by home bred sires and the consistency of phenotype was maintained - along with the bidding - from start to finish.
Cameron Mulcahy and his uncle Ian, Grimstead Angus stud at Urbenville, waved down the top-priced yearling bull Clunie Range Prince William P321, 14 months, by LD Capitalist 316 from Vermont Dream E360, 658kg with 36 centimetre circumference scrotal measurement and the highest average daily weight gain percentage of the draft at 1.56pc. The bull's predictive figures included +1.9 for calving ease direct, +4.2 birth weight,or just under the average, +52 for 200 day growth, +123 for 600 day growth, and a whopping +7.8 square centimetres for eye muscle area.
The Mulcahys will use Prince William in their pure Angus herd which was founded on the same cow line as Clunie Range, with Cameron's grandfather Hugh originally giving six females to his nephew Hugh Guest back in 1986, when they still lived near Woodenbong.
Top priced two year old bull will go home to the Guest family's original Woodenbong property, now owned by Mike Smith who bid on Clunie Range Nailed It N458 by Booroomooka Hyperno H605 from Coolana Nightingale K424, which presented on sale day at 1015kg, the second heaviest of the draft, with 40cm scrotal and an ADG of 1.4pc.
There were many who purchased half a dozen and more bulls but volume buyers on the day were Andy and Angela Mulcahy, Drummondslope Cattle Co, Alpha, Qld, who bought at Clunie Range for the first time to convert their former Hereford herd to all-black. The 21 bulls they purchased will go over some of the 1700 black baldy cows running on more than 26,000 hectares in the Barcaldine region, between Alpha and Tambo, including a parcel of cracking black soil near Augathella.
Drummondslope's top priced bull, at $12,000, was two year old Clunie Range Nixon N46 by Braveheart of Stern from Clunie Range Princess, presenting at 866kg, with predictive values which included -1.8 for calving ease direct, -1.4 calving ease daughters, -6.1 gestation, +46 or just above average for 200 day growth and a remarkable +9.6sq cm for EMA, or 4.5sq cm above the average.
Wickham Farms, Killarney, bought eight bulls for their pasture finished EU accredited operation including Clunie Range Nobby N500 and Clunie Range Nudist N158, both for $10,000.
The Collins family's Glenwarrah Pastoral at Bundarra bought Clunie Range Navigator N931 for $17,000 to be used in their Brooksby Angus stud.
Repeat buyers the Pickersgill family, Theodore, Qld, paid the same money for Clunie Range Nemisis N909 with growth, carcase weight and scrotal circumference in the top 1pc for the breed.
The Clunie Range sale was conducted by Elders Goondiwindi with JA McGregor Livestock and Property, Warialda.
