Grabbing a free Colin Say and Co beanie was just as important as a sale catalogue at the annual Dulverton Angus bull sale on Monday where the apparent temperature reached -2.4C.
Sleet and wind had one buyer of some decades labeling it the coldest auction ever but there was nothing icy about the bidding.
All but one of the 82 bulls sold to average $8333 on-property near Glen Innes with prices climbing to a high of $24,000.
Stud co-principal Greg Chappell thanked the support of long term and new buyers including the likes of Hancock Agriculture who secured eight bulls online to average $9125.
"We just hope that we can keep producing lineups like this," he said after the sale.
"It's a bit of a thrill to see them and how they have turned out."
The stud's previous record top of $20,000 was reached or surpassed at least three times on the day, all for Esslemont Lotto L3 sons, who has become a proven performer within the Dulverton herd.
The two-year-old Dulverton Pierro P070 reached the sale high paid by Glen McKinlay, Callandoon Angus, Springsure, Qld.
He was in the top seven per cent for all four indexes and boasted a maternal pedigree featuring Boroomooka Frankel, Design Plus '97 and O'Neills Renovator. He weighed 862 kilograms with a scrotal circumference of 44 centimetres.
Bidding opened at $12,000 for another Lotto son, Dulverton Pierro P129, and finished at $22,000 to the Sylvester family's Five Star Angus stud near Nundle.
He was admired for his body capacity and thickness and weighed 908 kilograms.
Queensland buyers also took home the $20,000 third top in Dulverton Pierro P092. He was bound for the Mace family of Red Ridge Grazing.
The cold conditions meant the stands were full of only the most committed buyers, many impressed by the quality on offer.
Kevin Graham of Kevin Graham Consulting, Chapel Hill, Qld, represented northern clients on the day.
While he was losing bidder on a number of the high priced lots, he was successful in securing seven bulls for Sylvester Pastoral Company, Arcadia Station, Injune, Qld, averaging $8857.
The operations features a large commercial Angus herd in what Mr Graham said was "some of the best country in Queensland" and provided a long term constant order of feeder cattle.
"We were looking for good growth, good scrotal circumference and size and density," he said.
"We didn't want big birth weights, we wanted good days to calving and good heavy grain figures as well."
It was just the start of a busy bull selling period for Mr Graham who said he had a number of clients interested in the upcoming NSW Angus sale offerings.
"We came down and had a look at them (the Dulverton bulls) in late May and I went back and reported to the clients that the quality of the bulls was very good," he said.
"I was quite impressed and quite strongly recommended that we attend the sale."
The Chappell family generously offer free transport with any of their sale bulls and will have quite the road trip ahead of them.
James Speed, Tambo, Qld, purchased at least seven bulls while the Cook family were successful with five.
The sale's first online appearance certainly paid off with Elite Livestock Auctions securing 14 bulls for clients, many of them in Queensland.
From a dust-filled selling centre in 2019 to sleet this year, the annual sale was quite a contrast.
But Mr Chappell was proud of the consistent offering they put forward and was left very excited by the performance of the sons of their three AI bulls; Esslemont Lotto L3, Boonaroo Gravity G013 and Spring Cove Gentleman Jack.
"We are just really really happy with the Boonaroo Gravitys," he said.
"I think they just fit the pattern that we are trying to breed; those middle of the road, mid maturity, easy doing plenty of meat in them and they carcase marble.
"The Gentleman Jacks, when we imported the semen, they had really good marbling performance through AgriBeef branded program and we haven't had any data yet but I'm sure he is going to continue that pattern."
"The other thing we are happy with is the one (Dulverton) Larry bull. We just mated him with all our two-year-olds and for those bulls to have stepped up the way they did is just great."
The sale was conducted by Colin Say and Co with Shad Bailey as the auctioneer.