RECENT wet weather failed to dampen the spirits of buyers at Dangarfield Santa Gertrudis stud's annual sale on Tuesday.
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At one stage, it looked like the sale may not be able to go ahead as rain caused neighbouring creeks to rise and cut off roads.
However, the Adams family was determined to ensure their clients could attend the 34th annual sale at its Taroom property Kingswood and helicoptered some prospective buyers in from town, while roads also reopened in time for the auction.
It paid dividends as all 45 bulls offered were snapped up at an average of $22,922.
In the breakdown, 29 stud bulls sold at an average of $24,068, while 16 herd bulls sold at an average of $20,843 and 11 pens of females sold to a top of $3100 a head and at an average of $2400/hd.
Several bulls challenged for the mantle of being the sale's top seller as the 96 registered bidders that packed the barn and the many more following the sale online via Elite Livestock Auctions aimed to fill their orders.
However, it was the ninth bull in the catalogue, Dangarfield Einstein, that took top honours when he was knocked down to Ryalsea Santa Gertrudis stud, Delacombe, Victoria, for $45,000.
The 21-month-old son of Dangarfield Boom Box and out of Dangarfield 6202 weighed 828 kilograms, had P8 and rib fat measurements of 11 and eight millimetres respectively as well as an eye muscle area of 144 square centimetres.
Buying the top seller on behalf of the Ryalsea stud was Lachlan Martin, Inverell, NSW, who said the bull ticked all of the boxes.
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"There wasn't much you could fault him on because he had a beautiful body on him with great depth and length, which I really admired about him," Mr Martin said.
"As well as that, he was just so smooth through the shoulders, back and legs, which was exactly what we were after.
"From here, he will go straight into stud duties down near Ballarat and hopefully he will breed a lot of those positive attributes into the herd of about 300 or so cows he will go out with."
The top seller was one of two bulls purchased by the stud and neighbouring Riverslea Santa Gertrudis stud during the sale, with the other being Dangarfield Enthrone for $30,000.
However, claiming the honour of being the sale's second-top-price bull was Dangarfield Edgeway, who was the 22-month-old son of Dangarfield Zabeel and out of Dangarfield 9361, and sold to Juandah Aggregation, Juandah Plains, Wandoan, for $36,000.
He weighed 862kg, had P8 and rib fat measurements of 14 and nine millimetres respectively and an EMA of 137sqcm.
The top-selling herd bull was Dangarfield E176, who was the 24-month-old son of Dangarfield Bugatti and out of Dangarfield 4733, and was knocked down to RTS Cattle Company, Achor Station, Duaringa, for $32,500.
Helping to push the sale's average up from the $12,136 achieved at last year's sale was volume buyers such as Westmoor Pastoral Company, which purchased five bulls at an average of $18,600, Garry Newton, who purchased two bulls at an average of $18,000 as well as one pen of females at $2400/hd, and Juandah Aggregation, Juandah Plains, Wandoan, which purchased three bulls at an average of $27,000.
Topping the female section of the sale was a draft of 22 pregnancy-tested-in-calf females, with an average weight of 424kg, that were knocked down to BW and TC Traves, Highland Plains, for $3100/hd.
Tuesday's live-auction sale was conducted by Nutrien Ag Soloutions, GDL and TopX.
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
