A new Australian Hereford yearling bull record has been set after South Australian producers, Days Whiteface, Bordertown, added a new sire to their battery from the AuctionsPlus Monthly Cattle Stud and Genetics sale.
Paying a hefty $91,000 for 12-month-old Tobruk Southern Cross S15, Days Whiteface principal Lachy Day said he was the clear choice.
The homozygous polled bull was in the top one per cent for all indexes, and the top 10pc for calving ease, and was a son of Glentrevor Trust N909.
Tobruk principal Damien Holloway, Wagga Wagga, said he was very humbled by the result and over the moon with the interest in his cattle.
"There was very stiff competition from some other very good herds so it is good that the genetic merit of the bull was recognised," he said.
"He is a special bull and he is one of those bulls who is phenotypically very hard to fault and he has got those numbers that you cant go past"
Initially looking at the bull for his data set, Mr Day said when he saw the pull in person, Southern Cross was exactly what he was looking for.
"He was an attractive bull a mid maturity pattern, very good carcase shape, structurally sound, and just had the outstanding data."
While Mr Day eagerly awaits the arrival of the bull, he said Southern Cross would be used heavily in their program this year and in to the future.
"He is pretty much an outcross, there is a bit of common ancestry but not much so he is pretty much an outcross and it is hard to find great bulls and it is harder to find them when they are pretty much an outcross," he said.
"We are really please to have been able to get him and it is really important that we invest in the best genetics we can find and put them back in to our program."
"We are excited to see where he cam compliments and where he will add to our program," Mr Day said.
Using the AuctionsPlus sale as a production sale for Tobruk, Mr Halloway said there were bidders active from Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland.
During inspections, Mr Halloway said there was presence from various semen companies and international interest in the bulls.
"Even if you took him out of the sale, it still would have been a really good sale that still topped at $20,000 and averaged about $9,000," Mr Halloway said
"Probably the biggest thing for me is that at the end of the sale, there is still affordability for my really good commercial clients.
"It is great to have these highs but it is also good to know that with your clientele, everyone got to go home happy.
The sale was conducted on AuctionsPlus through selling agents Nutrien Stud Stock.
