The Brahman breed enjoyed another stellar year in 2022, as did one of its best known studs, Lancefield Brahmans.
The Dululu stud's annual Invitation Sale at CQLX Gracemere in October attracted large numbers of buyers eager to secure quality genetics, with all 86 bulls snapped up at an average of $24,343
Bulls hit some impressive prices, with two sales making the top ten of Brahman bull prices in 2022.
Topping the sale at $170,000 and claiming the equal top price for a grey in 2022 was 2AM Esteem 7747.
The sale's second top priced bull, Lancefield M Electricity 7146/M (PP) fetched $130,000 - the equal third top price for a grey in 2022.
Lancefield M stud principal Matthew McCamley, Eulogie Station, said Electricity was one of the few homozygous polled bulls in the sale and a real show stopper.
"He was only 22 months of age at sale time, with an extremely tidy underline rarely seen in Brahmans let alone in polled genetics," he said.
Mr McCamley said the bull came from a female line that has been one of the most successful dam lines in the history of Lancefield, going back to the stud's inception in the sixties.
The bull sold in a three quarter share full possession to Kelvin and Margaret Maloney, Kenilworth stud, Mount Coolon.
Lancefield M Electricity was one of four bulls by the same sire, Lancefield M Eddie, in this year's sale, with the sons averaging an impressive $61,250.
In good news for buyers, three more of Eddie's sons are heading to the upcoming Big Country sale at Charters Towers on February 6 -7, along with nine Lancefield M red bulls.
Electricity and 2AM Esteem were among an exceptional line up of quality bulls that placed in the top Brahman sales for 2022.
Also making the best prices list were Red Brahmans Fairy Springs Royal Flush and Fairy Springs Capitalist ($200,000); Rockley Esteban ($180,000); MCC Maywether ($170,000); Clukan Jaguar 391/10 ($160,000); Carinya J Ladbroke- It ($130,000); Capricorn B Sydney 029 ($130,000); Clukan Redwings 1530 ($125,000); Kariboe Valley Ventura 1161/10 ($120,000); PBF Aviator Manso 227/21 ($110,000) and Carinya Wickham 1/2022 ($110,000).
The newly appointed president of the Australian Brahman Breeders' Association Reade Radel says bull sales exceeded expectations in 2022, despite an oversupply of northern cattle into southern markets as a result of the FMD outbreak in Indonesia.
"That put downward pressure on feeder steer prices and clearly demonstrates the value of live exports to the beef industry," he said.
"Industry bodies must maintain pressure on government to keep both live export of sheep and cattle open.
"The Australian Brahman Breeders Association commends David Connolly and the NTCA for the strong stance they have taken on the subject."
Excellent value
"As usual the more expensive bulls lifted overall sales averages and somewhat disguised the excellent overall value for money that astute buyers were able to take advantage of this year," Mr Radel said.
"No doubt the performance of these sale purchases will repay the faith commercial cattle producers have shown in Brahmans for 2022."
Boost in EBV's
Mr Radel said more Brahmam bulls were sold with EBV's this year than ever before.
"Many of these EBV's are only available because of the valuable reserach carried out in the Brahman BIN project," he said
"High accuracy EBV's for a range of traits including growth, fertility and meat quality can now be generated by breeders by simply taking a tissue sample form their sale bulls."
Research underway
Mr Radel said ongoing research projects would continue to improve the breed's performance.
"Currently research in underway to measure methane emissions, nitrogen loss of net feed efficiency that will enable breeders to identify the most productive and environmentally sustainable Brahmans in the future," he said.
