Two stud breeders, Aldinga Droughtmasters and Eversleigh/Wallace Vale Droughtmasters had their eyes on the same bull in Valera Vale on-property sale, resulting in a new record price of $42,000 for the Charleville-based stud.
Roger and Jenny Underwood's Eversleigh and Wallace Vale studs were the victors in the bidding duel on Friday, meaning they have been the purchaser of the top-priced bull at the stud's last three sales, helping Valera Vale set new records each time.
They paid $23,000 for Valera Vale 19687M in 2020, then outlaid $30,000 for a bull identified as 20332M in 2021.
Mr Underwood said they'd been looking for a stud sire and believed their new purchase, Valera Vale 20691M, a double poll bull with 66 per cent Brahman content, would fit the bill well.
"He's got plenty of scale, perfect semen quality, 91pc," Mr Underwood said. "Fertility's the big thing, you can't go past that."
In addition, the 26-month-old bull weighing 929kg had a scrotal circumference of 40cm, P8 and rib fat measurements of 14 and 12mm respectively, an eye muscle area of 142 square centimetres, and average daily weight gain of 1.77 kilograms a day.
Valera Vale principal Michael Flynn said he was pure Valera Vale blood as far back as one could go.
"People say you can't get good growth and sheath in double poll bulls - I think they should look at his pictures," he said.
The stud sold all 135 bulls on offer, resulting in an average price of $8370.37.
That was back on 2021's sale average of $12,991 but an extra 30 bulls were on sale this year.
Mr Flynn said the family wanted to make sure all clients got what they wanted, which meant increasing the number of bulls for sale.
"We had more than expected through the ring because we had no morphology fails," he said. "At the end of the day we supply herd bulls to professional cattlemen and today we achieved what we wanted to."
Mr Flynn has always emphasised the value the stud places on morphology figures, which was reiterated by the buyers of the second-top priced bull, Paul and Margaret Vetter, Cooladdi Park, Cooladi.
They paid $23,000 for Valera Vale 21606M, 21 months, sired by Aldinga Imposing from Valera Vale 12319F, who produced nine calves in nine years.
The double poll bull with 54pc Brahman content had a scrotal circumference of 40cm, morphology of 91pc, P8 and rib fat measurements of 14 and 12mm, an EMA of 134sq cm, and average daily weight gain of 1.45 kg/d.
Dr Vetter is the vet who conducts the stud's semen testing and said he was fortunate to see them all up close.
"I'd picked out a few - I looked at the figures, the average across the whole mob and what was above the average," he said. "Morphology's very important. And our country's a bit harder so we're looking for bulls with a bit more fat, which helps with fertility."
As a buyer of Valera Vale bulls for the past 24 years, Dr Vetter said he had absolute trust in the Flynns and their breeding objectives.
The Vetters bought three bulls on Friday for an average of $16,333.
Two bulls were sold for $22,000, one to Cameron Salter, Cooma, Surat, and the other to Beryl Kennedy, Winya, near Kilcoy.
Mr Flynn acknowledged the solid support the sale had received from a wide range of buyers around Charleville - Mitchell, Roma, Surat and Cunnamulla producers were among the 38 people holding bid cards, along with people from Quilpie, Jericho, Winton and Cunnamulla, and a large presence from Western Australia.
Haydn Sale, Mandora Cattle Co, Broome, operating online, bought 10 bulls, all double polled, for an outlay of $84,000 for his bull breeding unit.
It was announced prior to the sale that the Pilbara's Brent Smoothy had parked half a road train on the property to load up three decks of herd bulls, and that he had another three decks to fill for Hillside Station, Marble Bar, which he didn't quite achieve, successfully buying 31 bulls for an average of $5000.
Jericho's Mick Wells selected 10 bulls at the sale, paying an average $7900, while Ross Shapcott, Reynella Grazing, Charleville paid an average $11,250 for eight bulls.
Carol Godfrey, Tinnenburra, Quilpie finished the sale with seven bulls for an average of $7142.
Buyers from Aramac, Clermont, North Bundaberg, the Lockyer Valley and Grandchester were operating online, along with Broome's Haydn Sale.
- Selling agents - Elders, Nutrien, simulcast by Elite Livestock Auctions
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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.
