Fleurieu stud builds numbers to achieve sale dreams
After years of selling bulls privately around their annual Stock Journal Beef Week open day, BoonARKM Angus and Limitless Cattle Company are holding their first online bull and female auction in 2025.
The Fleurieu Peninsula-based stud has put together a Cream of the Crop catalogue comprising 15 lots, largely Angus, Simmental and SimAngus bulls, of varying ages from 12 months to two years.
Annie Palmer - who runs the studs with her husband Jordan - says the sale bulls are bred from some of Australia's most sought-after cow families.
They will include a group of embryo transfer-bred bulls from their Nightingale donor cow, as well as Simmental sires from Hobbs Livestock's renowned 'Honeybee' donor cow.
Another addition to the catalogue is a potential Angus show heifer, Limitless R48 Blackbird V101, which has been halter-broken.
The rising yearling is ET-bred out of their Blackbird donor female which has bred well for them and was sired by Millah Murrah Rembrandt R48.
Ms Palmer said holding a sale was always their long-term goal, but it had taken time to grow their numbers to about 60 females and make it worthwhile.
"Hopefully it (a sale) will make life a lot easier to bring in the bulls once or twice, rather than for every person and we want to support our clients to have access to our best breeding," she said.
"We also sold two bulls at a multi-vendor sale last year (in Wagga Wagga, NSW) which gave us the confidence we could do it and had enough good bulls to offer."
Annie's parents, Rob and Kerry Boon, established BoonARKM Angus stud in 2007.
In 2019, the Palmers acquired the stud with business partners Rod and Jean Walker, and Wes and Rita Hurrell.
In July, the Palmers took their next big step by buying out the Walkers and Hurrells who jointly own some of this year's sale animals.
In 2018, Limitless Cattle Company was born with the purchase of the senior champion female, Woonallee Hummer, at the Simmental National Show and Sale that year.
"We conducted a two-year trial using Simmental semen in our commercial Angus herd before deciding to invest in a foundation female to establish our Simmental and SimAngus breeding program," Ms Palmer said.
"This decision was driven by the great success and performance we observed within our commercial herd during the trial period - the hybrid vigour of these calves was amazing."
Ms Palmer says they have continued to select top females to enhance their herd in both breeds and are enjoying the challenge of trying to "breed the perfect animal".
"The number one thing we are breeding for is docility, especially with a young family they have to be quiet when we are working them in the yards or the paddock," she said.
"We also like easy doing cattle and fertility and having the right phenotype."
The Palmers have been working with respected Vic-based beef consultant Dick Whale who has provided a complete structural assessment of the sale bulls. They will also be fertility-tested and feature International Genetic Solutions indexes to complement their breeding values.
Prospective buyers can inspect the sale cattle and herd at Mount Magnificent between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday, February 8, when a Texas BBQ will also be held.
The cattle will also be on display at the stud's Stock Journal Beef Week field day the following day.
Bidding on AuctionsPlus for the helmsman sale opens at 4pm on February 8 and concludes at 5pm on Monday, February 10.
