Myriad genetics in Droughtie National draft

The Droughtmaster National Sale committee said 97 per cent of the bulls in the draft are registered, with 480 registered bulls and 14 herd bulls catalogued in total.

"The bulls being offered this year hail from areas as geographically diverse as Home Hill, in the far North, Boonah to the south, and into Western Australia. This diversity will ensure there will be a wide range of genetics to bid on, suitable for all markets," they said.

"A lot of the progeny of bulls sold at previous DN Sales are being sold through the ring at various Droughtmaster-specific and multibreed sales each year with solid returns resulting for the vendors."

They said the DN Sale has long-held its appeal due to their being such a broad range of genetics available in one location.

"It's also a great value for money sale. In 2019 more than half the bulls yarded sold for $7000 or less.

"The 2020 bulls are being prepared by the vendors for the sale to show buyers each animals' full potential. Our vendors are mindful of overfeeding and therefore these bulls are being prepared for their longevity."

They said the sale allows buyers to purchase bulls compliant with Australian Cattle Vet Standards. A minimum standard for semen motility is required to sell at the sale and some vendors have gone above that to test for morphology.

"Vaccinations are compulsory for 5 in 1 or 7 in 1, 3 day and 3 germ blood, with many other bulls having had botulism, vibrio, lepto and pestivirus vaccinations.

"Most bulls in the sale draft are also tested for Horn/Poll, Pompes and Pestivirus which allows buyers peace of mind when purchasing, and many studs are eligible to sell to Western Australia.

"The sale offers numerous incentives for buyers including a freight rebate and the personal travel rebate as well as a new incentive, a $2000 credit for the buyer of the most bulls. A 4pc rebate is also available for outside agents. (T&C's apply on the sale website.)"

Due to COVID19 protocols, the traditional Drinks with Droughties event will be held in the sale complex grandstand on Monday, September 14 from 5.30pm onwards in an altered format to comply with regulations. Droughtmaster Lager will be supplied by Asahi. The Droughtmaster Next Generation Committee will also be holding a live online auction at this time.

The sale will be 'live streamed' allowing buyers to bid at home using the Stocklive app or by logging into Stocklive. The sale catalogue is now available to view on the Droughtmaster Australia website, as are the details for the online auction.

"There will be numerous changes to regulations at CQLX and it's important for all attendees to adhere to social distancing rules within the grounds. The sale will be conducted in a physical manner but we're guided by CQLX regarding restrictions to the complex.

"CQLX has a sign in/sign out process in accordance with their Covid-19 plan. We recommend downloading the app Sine Pro and creating an account prior to arrival to make movements to and from CQLX easier. All family members attending will need to setup an account to sign-in, including children.

"We'd like to thank our major sponsors Asahi Beverages, Queensland Country Life, Morgans Finance & Riverina Stockfeeds. All prospective buyers are invited to view the bulls from 12pm on Saturday September 12 at CQLX."