Renegade sons spark strong top end bidding at Yerwal Estate Angus
As temperatures sweltered past 40 degrees there was also plenty of heat in the early bidding at Yerwal Estate's 23rd annual Angus and Simmental bull sale on Wednesday.
The first sons of Vic bred Angus sire, Alkira Renegade, to be offered provided many of these sale highlights.
This included lot 8, Yerwal Estate Renegade U87, which was the $14,000 sale topper.
But - as may be the trend this year with such a dry season in 2024 and a depleted cow herd - in the first sale for SA Angus Week, the Burow family only sold 29 of their 53 bulls for a $8000 average.
Seven of those that sold did make five figures.
Despite making much less than last year's sale-topper, Renegade U87 was still a standout in the catalogue for docility, doing ability and carcase attributes.
It also had a good balance of figures including top 7 per cent for feed efficiency and top 20pc for rib fat.
The 20 month old weighed 892 kilograms and had an eye muscle area of 127 square centimetres.
Pushing the button on AuctionsPlus with the winning bid was repeat buyer Gary Jones, Mumbannar, Vic.
Mr Jones also bought another Renegade son, lot 14, for the $13,000 second highest price.
The 820kg bull had great calving ease figures as well as exceptional carcase traits including an EMA of +15.7- easily the top 1pc of the breed.
Overall nine of the 10 Renegade sons averaged $9556.
Making the most of the good buying was repeat buyer Heathvale Pastoral, Millicent, who bought six Angus for a $7500 average.
Allanvale Farms, Allanvale, Vic, bought in the top end of the catalogue with three Angus for an $11,000 average.
In recent years Yerwal Estate has focused on the Qld market with its Simmentals and will again send about 20 bulls to the AgGrow Elite Multi Breed Sale in late June and more to the Qld Simmental Bull Sale in late July.
The stud did still include two Black Simmental bulls in the catalogue following the Angus.
One of these - lot 55, Yerwal Estate Unearthed U044, made $6000 and sold to LD Mulraney, Mount Gambier, who also bought lot 5, an Angus bull.
All three SimAngus bulls were also passed in.
Stud principals Regan and Connie Burow said they had fully expected the clearance rate to be back due to the tough season but were rapt with the versatility of the bulls they offered.
"The first half of the sale was even stronger than I thought it would be but then tapered off as we expected it would, we are not fussed and will have those bulls sitting around and when it rains they will move," Mr Burow said.
Mrs Burow said it was fantastic to see so many people braving the heat to inspect their breeding program. There were also more than 50 online users.
"We are both really happy with the quality, we know it is tough out there because we are doing it tough too," she said.
"It has not been 12 months it has been more like 18 months down here in the south."
Nutrien stud stock auctioneer Richard Miller said there was strong competition on the top end from four or five regulars which made their value but the sale simply ran out of buyers.
He heaped praise on the bulls and described it as the "best line-up he had seen by the stud for consistency and type.
"It was a pretty tough year in 2024 so they had no choice but to feed them and they came up really well," Mr Miller said.
"If someone wanted to buy multiple bulls they could do it very easily.
"I thought everything was the best I had seen at Yerwal Estate- the marketing, the catalogues, the figures, the bulls, it was really well done."
Nutrien Naracoorte conducted the sale.
