Sale summary: 71 bulls sold; top price $52,500; average price $14,940; 100pc clearance
The stands around the Moongool Charolais on-property sale ring at Yuleba on Monday afternoon were crackling with as much electricity as the approaching rain front when bidding duels resulted in a huge boost to the stud's average sale price.
After the first bull into the ring, the homozygous polled Moongool Poll Phoenix, brought an opening bid of $13,000 and was knocked down to Gavin Scott, Rosetta Grazing at Collinsville for $35,000, anticipation was high for what was to come.
Moongool Pilgrim, the European champion and reserve champion bull of the Sire Shootout, was ushered in and bid spotters immediately went to work from a starting bid of $10,000.
It was a partnership of Warwick's Ascot Charolais and Bauhinia Charolais at Emerald that held its nerve to secure the son of ANC Kind (P) and Moongool Delvein for $52,500.
Three days earlier, Moongool had outlaid $34,000 for Ascot Kudos P545E (P) (R/F) at Ascot's on-property sale, the low birth weight, positive fat, powerful son of Palgrove Kudos K735E (P).
At 23 months, Moongool Pilgrim, also homzygous polled, weighed 984kg, had P8 and rib fat measurements of 10mm and 7mm, an eye muscle area of 154 square centimetres, intramuscular fat of 6.1 per cent, and semen morphology of 80pc.
Ascot stud principal Jim Wedge said he had been looking for a bull with a different pedigree for his program, and the homozygous poll attributes would work well with their own stud program.
"His correctness and sirey outlook meant a lot to us too," he said.
The bull's sire presence was also impressive for new co-owner Ryan Holzwart, Bauhinia Charolais, who said it was really hard to find as much power, shown by his EMA, and softness, shown by his IMF, in the same animal.
The buyers have sold the semen rights to the bull to Western Australia's Venturon Charolais.
The packed stands barely had enough time to record that result in their catalogues before another son of ANC Kind, Moongool P327 started a third finger-raising frenzy.
This time it was the Inverell stud, 4Ways Charolais, who paid the still-standing Australian breed record of $83,000 for Moongool Lunar Rise in 2017, that outlaid $50,000 for the 23-month-old bull at the front end of the 2020 catalogue.
The second-top priced bull, he weighed 968kg, had an IMF measurement of 6.1pc, and semen morphology of 85pc.
4Ways stud principal David Whitechurch said he had different genetics to their own and they admired his good skin and hair type, plus they believed he was the best-tempered bull in the sale.
The next big spike in the sale came for lot 14, Moongool P747E, a red factor son of 4Ways Kiwi and dam Moongool Warocal Rachel 5, who went to another stud breeder, Clare Charolais at Theodore.
They paid $47,500, outbidding an interested party on AuctionsPlus.
Moongool stud spokesman Ivan Price said the two-year-old bull ticked many boxes of relevance to commercial cattlemen, particularly his body type and his beautifully quiet disposition.
Purchaser Alan Goodland said he was an extremely balanced bull.
"He has bone softness and a great body," he said. "As far as the red factor goes, we're chasing more of it because there's demand out there."
Apart from those three studs, the day largely belonged to Queensland's commercial producers, 99pc of them repeat clients.
CC and AA Lawrence, Lilyvale, Capella paid an average $9666 for six sires, paying a top price of $14,000 for 4Ways Kiwi and Moongool Nelly 8 son Moongool P787E, a bull with many carcase attibutes.
Andrew and Cathie Fernie, Riverview Cattle Co, Clermont, added to last Friday's purchase of six Pathfinder Angus bulls with five Moongool Charolais sires for an average $14,800.
Alpha's Rostron Grazing bought five bulls as well.
While only buying three bulls, AJM Pastoral Co, Burleigh Station, Richmond paid an average $21,333 for them.
By the end of the sale Moongool had a $14,940 average, beating their 2018 average of $9700 by a considerable amount.
Ivan Price said commercial buyers had showed a lot of confidence with their bids.
"There were a lot of repeat buyers - it's always a bonus when you can rely on that," he said.
- Selling agents: Nutrien, Hoch & Wilkinson, GDL, Elders, interfaced with AuctionsPlus
Read more: Moongool sell to $28,000 in 2019
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
