Bulls go to four states as tough season 'dictates' clearance at Murdeduke
Bulls are off to four states after Murdeduke Angus' annual sale at Winchelsea.
The stud offered 89 18-month-old bulls and sold 67, recording an average price of $8567, and reaching a top price of $18,000 two times.
Clearance was down on last year's sale, where 89 of 97 bulls sold and averaged $9280.
Murdeduke stud manager Simon Falkiner said it was a "challenging sale" amid a "challenging season".
But Mr Falkiner said they still had the "greatest confidence" in the genetics they had produced.
"We look forward to seeing how the bulls go," he said.
"They were good value."
Nutrien stud stock agent Nick Farley said the season "dictated the clearance".
"Cow numbers are down and not a lot of people have retained heifers," he said.
Mr Farley said the stud had presented an even line of bulls that represented "good value" for those buying.
Two bulls made the $18,000 top price.
The first was Lot 6, Murdeduke Simon U546, which was purchased by David and Bronwyn Brazier, Euchareena, NSW.
Mr Brazier said they had been purchasing from Murdeduke for the last eight years and had had great success with their progeny.
"They're run in big mobs so they've got to compete with each other," he said.
"They're good cattle."
He said Lot 6 had "good scope".
"He's a good cow bull with a lovely temperament, good figures and good frame," he said.
The bull recorded TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation estimated breeding values (EBVs) of +4.8 kilograms birth weight (BW), +65kg 200-day weight, +126kg 400-day weight, +172kg 600-day weight, +6.9 square centimetres eye muscle area (EMA) and +3.7 per cent intramuscular fat (IMF).
The second bull to make the top price was halfway through the catalogue, Lot 47, Murdeduke Goalkeeper U265, which was purchased by James Paterson, JHW Paterson & Son, Deniliquin, NSW.
Mr Paterson runs 6500 cows across a handful of properties in the western district and NSW Riverina, as well as a state-of-the-art feedlot.
He was joined at the sale by his genetics manager Craig Waldron, who said they were looking for a handful of back-up bulls for their artificial insemination program to breed females for their Angus/Wagyu program.
Mr Waldron said they were particularly looking for bulls with high feed intake ability and carcase attributes to increase growth in their herd.
It was the first time they had bought a bull from Murdeduke, and they had purchased at Te Mania, Mortlake, the day prior.
Their top bull from Murdeduke recorded EBVs of +4.7kg BW, +70kg 200-day weight, +134kg 400-day weight, +171kg 600-day weight, +12.1sqcm EMA and +2.1pc IMF.
Lachie Seears and Billy Laurie, Boonderoo, Lucindale, SA, purchased three bulls at the sale, two for $12,000 each and the third for $7000.
Mr Seears said this was their third year buying "good, all-rounder bulls" from the stud.
He said they were in the midst of building their herd from about 1700 to 2700 cows and these bulls would "fit nicely" into those plans.
"They've got low birth weight and good growth weights," he said.
"They've also got good EMAs and fat cover."
Bulls headed over the border into South Australia, NSW and Tasmania, and went to local areas, as well as into Gippsland and northern Victoria.
