Palgrove's Hunter Valley Charolais and Ultrablack sale 100pc clearance

The gallery in the sale ring mainly was repeat buyers, with bulls destined to work in herds in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania. Bulls heading for parts of Queensland, including Charleville, Longreach, Blackall, Dysart, and Comet, illustrated the value of online bidding, while online purchases were made from Inverell and Casino.

Topping the sale was the last bull in the catalogue, Palgrove Tutor (P), sired by Milwillah Jaal, which Richard, Tracey, and Jess Hulme, Holbrook, bought for $28,000. Tutor is a September 2022 drop calf that weighed 764 kilograms and had an eye muscle area of 126 square centimetres.

Its estimated breeding value was +47 for 200-day growth, +81 for 400-day growth, and +99 for 600-day growth. Its intramuscular fat +0.3, and its estimated red beef yield was +1.3.

Five Charolais bulls sold for the equal top price of $20,000, going to buyers at Longreach and Blackall and locally to Merriwa and Ellerston via Scone.

Richard Hulme said he'd bought his first Palgrove Ultrablack at the Hunter Valley sale four years ago.

"I've used a couple of Brangus bulls in our herd of Angus cows, and I'm finding the Ultrablack is giving me a great cross calf," Mr Hulme said.

"I've been receiving some pushback with the Bos indicus content down in the south, but the hybrid vigour more than makes up for any loss," he said.

"I've finished my calves and sold them over the hooks, and they're grading MSA.

Mr Hulme said some of his cattle had been sent to Caroona Feedlot for finishing.

"The southern feedlots don't tend to want them," he said.

Sophie Inder, Rockwell Charolais, Merriwa, was one of the buyers of the five bulls that were sold for $20,000.

Her father, Tony, said the bull would be used in Sophie's stud herd and probably be joined by commercial Angus females.

Ms Inder is a return buyer who has been buying from Palgrove for more than seven years.

Rockwell Livestock currently runs about 200 Angus commercial females and 10 stud Charolais cows in their operation.

Another of the equal top-price bulls was Palgrove Traction, the first son of Palgrove Quidmaker to be sold in the nation. Simon Daley, La Mancha, Longreach, was the buyer.

Ben Avery, through Nick Handley, Elders Blackall, bought two bulls for $20,000. They were Palgrove Teddy, sired by Palgrove Platinum P931E and Palgrove Trademark, sired by LT Vista.

Ellerston Pastoral, repeat buyers of Palgrove Charolais bulls bought another of the $20,000 equal top-priced bulls, Palgrove Throne, sired by Palgrove Nitrogen. It was described as an 'absolute meat machine' in the catalogue and had an EMA of 132sq/cm. The 21-month-old weighed 779kg and had an IMF of 4.6pc. Ellerston bought five bulls averaging $14,800.

K and J Whelan, Leongath, Victoria, paid $16,000 for Palgrove Townsville, sired by Palgrove Quidmaker, while Russell Green, Mole Creek, Tasmania, bought Palgrove Take That, sired by Palgrove Queenstown for $12,000.

Volume buyer online was Alister and Kym Day, Blackall, through Frame Rural Agencies, Inverell, who bought five bulls to $12,000, averaging $10,000, while Hayden Garside, Monash, Comet, Queensland, bought three bulls, two at $14,000 and one at $12000.

CA Crozier and TF Rule, Tyrone, Charleville, bought three bulls to $14,000 twice, averaging $12,666, while Gavin Jones, The Circle, Hope Island, Qld, bought two bulls, one at $18,000 and the other at $12,000.

Palgrove's Ben Noller said local support for the sale was important, but clients from Queensland were also influential buyers.

"In the current market, it was a really good sale today," Mr Noller said.

He said the market was showing signs of "a lot of positivity".

"There's a big flow of cattle coming out of the north, but the way things are moving, the outlook is very positive," he said.

There were 43 registered bidders in the sale barn and 13 active online bidders, of whom nine were successful. Forty-seven of the 52 lots sold attracted online bids.

Davidson Cameron and Company and McGrath Livestock Upper Hunter were the sale agents. Luke Scicluna was the auctioneer, and AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.