The saying 'mud makes money' was all to true for Lucrana Simmentals on Friday when the 10th annual on-property bull sale overcame 80 millimetres of rain to record prices as high as $35,000.
Vendor Andrew Moore was admittedly nervous with the changing COVID-19 restrictions ahead of his Texas sale but he had nothing to worry about when 37 of 42 bulls sold to average $10,743 and achieve a new stud record.
Due to the drought, their offering was set to be smaller than normal which was why Mr Moore decided to offer yearling bulls for the first time, along with inviting three bulls from Brenair Park, Victoria.
The move paid off when 13-month-old Lucrana Radar reached the sale high of $35,000 paid by Samantha and Stuart Moeck, Valley Creek Simmentals, Bowral, NSW.
The Moecks had inspected the bull prior to the sale but had the bidding assistance of Elders agent Andrew Meara on the day to overcome underbidders Kendall Park Simmentals, Coles Creek.
Bidding kicked off at $14,000 for the son of Glen Anthony Y-Arta who was out of first calf female Lucrana N20 and weighed 666 kilograms. He had an eye muscle area of 110 square centimetres, fat scans of 10 and eight millimetres and intramuscular fat of 5.1 per cent.
Mr Moeck said Radar ticked a lot of boxes being homozygous poll and for his flexibility, body shape, softness and temperament.
"We need to have numbers in the south and we've been looking to buy a bull out of Queensland for some time but this is the first one that has met the criteria," he said.
"We've got a bit of interest on the semen selling market for that type of a bull with his all round flexibility. He is a very flexible bull for calving ease, he can be put over cows.
"He will come down and go to one of our places. We probably run two or four blocks of cattle and we need two traditional bulls to back up. Every cow gets AI'd and then back up bulls go out so he will get a fair swag of cows in spring."
Lucrana stud principal Andrew Moore was ecstatic with the result, particularly the strong online presence from Elite Livestock Auctions which secured 11 bulls for clients.
"I was a little bit nervous with the recent health regulations and then the wet weather today, creeks and rivers rising, so I'm stoked with that, over the moon," he said.
"There is definitely a resurgence in the breed. I think people are just appreciating them; they are a soft Euro breed and they are very flexible with the blacks, traditionals and the red cattle now."
Wyndham Pastoral at Casino secured one of the largest orders of the day with two traditional and two black bulls averaging $13,250.
Clerkness at Bundarra also secured four averaging $8500 as did KW Properties on the north coast for an average of $9000.
While Lucrana prides itself on a commercial focus, their was plenty of stud activity too.
The Skene family from Meldon Park Simmentals, Cecil Plains, paid $19,000 for the honey-coloured rising two-year-old bull, Lucrana Q53, while Ivan Price of Moongool at Yuleba paid $10,000 for the 13-month-old red bull, Lucrana R07.
The sale was conducted by C.L. Squires and Co alongside Nutrien. Robbie Bloch of C.L. Squires was manning the rostrum as auctioneer.
Read the full report in next week's paper.