Commercial buyers seek out Ardno's Herefords and Angus
AN embryo transfer bred Poll Hereford bull with pure Injemira genetics drew plenty of online bids at Ardno Performance Livestock's second annual helmsman sale at OB Flat on Saturday.
Repeat buyer Steven Kuhl, Kolora Trading, Tarpeena, put in the top price bid of $9500 to secure lot 20, Ardno Update U322 - a son of Injemira Techno and out of Injemira Happy Day P261.
The rising two-year-old, which weighed 860kg, had a great balance of figures that appealed to Mr Kuhl including ranking in the top 4pc for gestation length and carcase weight.
"He has got good figures and a bit of presence out in the pen," Mr Kuhl said.
A decade on from purchasing the high-profile Vic Hereford stud along with 100 females the Cleves and Comley families have continued to take it forward
Around the same time, they also established an Angus stud with the purchase of females from Coolana. Both studs are run alongside their 1500-head commercial herd.
Herefords Australia chairman Marc Greening, who opened the sale, said he had really enjoyed building a relationship with the family who were "passionate beef breeders developing an industry-leading beef business".
"What I really like about this operation is it is driven from commercial reality," he said.
"They know what their bulls are doing in the blacks (Angus) and the reds (Herefords) from their (1500 head) commercial herd and then the cream rises to the top which you can see here in their sale bulls and genetic packages," he said.
After the hour-long helmsman sale where bids were taken on AuctionsPlus, 24 of 51 Angus and Hereford bulls found homes for a $6313 average.
In a sign of the popularity of Angus, there was a much higher clearance of these black bulls.
Fifteen of 20 reached $7000 twice and averaged $6200, while nine of 31 Herefords averaged $6500.
The two highest priced Angus were lot 33 - a Baldridge Beast Mode son which was bought by KJ Upton, Wando Vale, Casterton and lot 37 - a Millah Murrah Rembrandt son was snapped up by Adhurst Pastoral, Drik Drik, Vic.
There were no big orders to help the clearance with the buyers either taking one or two bulls.
Three pens of PTIC females all made $2000.
Twelve PTIC Angus heifers, which were sired by Baldridge Beast Mode and due to calve for three weeks from late March to several Angus sale bulls were snapped up by Chris Hunt through O'Connor & Graney, Mt Gambier.
Two pens of 11 rising three-year-old Hereford cows with a six-week joining sold to PC&CA Malseed and CN Munro, both operating through Kerr & Co, Hamilton, Vic.
They are due to calve for six weeks with the calves sired by some of Ardno's 2025 sale bulls.
Stud co-principal Harry Comley described the sale as "pretty good", especially selling only one fewer bull than 2024 in a year that has been challenging for everyone.
"There is a lot of negativity around the weather and beef prices and a lot of people are not joining as many cows but things are looking up in the industry," he said.
Elders Vic stud stock manager Ross Milne - who facilitated the sale - said there were encouraging signs with the sale well attended by both new and repeat buyers.
"It was not the easiest environment to be conducting their second sale but most people were happy with how the sale was conducted and also the value for money they got," he said.
"The cattle were even, quiet with good relevant performance data."
The sale was conducted by Elders, O'Connor & Graney and TDC Livestock & Property.
