Rondel tops Black Stump Invitational Sale

The annual multi-breed, multi-vendor sale attracted commercial producers from across Queensland and New South Wales to the Blackall Saleyards.

The 66 registered bidders that gathered at the saleyards, as well as 11 registered bidders following Tuesday's sale online via StockLive, had to wait until the 84^th bull in the catalogue for the top price of $22,000 to be reached.

The sale's top seller was Rondel Drip Torch, a polled sire prospect offered by Deleece Carrington and family of Rondel Droughtmasters, Anrod Station, Winton and sold to Chris and Karla Kirby, Keilambete Grazing, Ruby Vale, west of Emerald.

Rondel Drop Torch, who was the 25-month-old son of Rondel JNH Absolute Pink and out of Rondel 5277, weighed 720 kilograms, had P8 and rib fat measurements of 11 and seven millimetres respectively, an eye muscle area of 136 square centimetres, and measured 39 centimetres in the scrotum.

This year's sale draft consisted of 12 Angus, six Poll Herefords, six Brafords, five Brangus, nine Charolais, nine Charbrays, 24 Simmentals, five Simbrahs, two Brahmans, and 19 Droughtmasters.

These bulls were selected by Mountain Valley Angus and Poll Herefords, Coolatai, New South Wales; Callaway Poll Herefords, Irvingdale, Queensland; MCN Brafords, Bell and Strathgyle Brafords, both in Bell; Cobblegun Brangus, Glenmorgan; Mountview Charolais and Droughtmasters, Cambooya; Wattlebray Charbrays, Chinchilla; Meldon Park Simmentals, Cecil Plains; Noanga Simmentals, Curlewis, NSW; Rodlyn Simbrahs, Droughtmasters, and Brahmans, Bell; Rondel Droughtmasters, Winton; and Clayfield Droughtmasters, Curlewis, NSW.

In a breakdown of Tuesday's sale, 75 of the 93 bulls sold under the hammer for a clearance rate of 80 per cent, a gross of $653,000 and at an overall average of $8706.

Following post sale negotiations, two bulls sold for an adjusted sale gross to $663,000, 82pc clearance and average to $8610, which is $164 more on the 2023 sale result.

A solid result was also achieved for the 2023 sale as 56 of 78 bulls sold under the hammer for a gross of $473,000 at an average of $8446, and a top price of $23,500.

Claiming the honour of the sale's second-top price bull was Mountain Valley MVPPT37, which sold on behalf of Ian Durkin, Mountain Valley Pastoral, Coolatai, NSW, to GT and LM Hartwig, for $20,000.

Of the more than 70 bidders registered, the bulk buyer was Peter and Tracy Rose, Aramac, who purchased eight bulls at an average price of $8187.