'Tough' Newcomen sale 'a sign of the times' as Hereford bulls flood market
Veteran Hereford breeder Barry Newcomen considers himself "lucky" after selling almost 70 per cent of his bulls at auction during his 2025 bull sale at Ensay.
Newcomen Herefords sold 34 of 50 bulls at auction on Wednesday, March 12, to a top price of $10,500.
Twenty buyers across Victoria, NSW and South Australia bought bulls at the 22nd on-property sale that recorded an average of $5808, a $1364 decline on the stud's 2024 result.
Sixteen bulls were passed in at auction.
Mr Newcomen, 86, said he knew the sale would be "tough going" before it started.
"All the Hereford sales in southern Australia have been tough so I suppose I can count my lucky stars I got out of it as well as I did," he said.
"I sold more bulls this year than last year and no doubt, if the season breaks, we will sell a few more bulls."
Ensay is located on the Great Alpine Road between Tambo Crossing and Swifts Creek.
Mr Newcomen said seasonal conditions in vast parts of eastern Victoria were partially to blame for the softer result.
"Some people who would usually buy two or three bulls only bought one or no bull at all this year," he said.
The top-priced bull Lot 15, Newcomen Ugboot, was knocked down for $15,000 to local grazier James Turner, Reedy Flat, who purchased the bull on behalf of his parents, Simon and Rowena Turner, Turner Partnership, Bindi.
The Turner family runs more than 200 Hereford breeders at Bindi, north of Swifts Creek, and have a long association with Newcomen Herefords.
James described the future sire as a well-rounded bull.
"Physically, he is a strong bull with a big back end on him," he said.
"We also liked his breeding and the fact he is sired by Yarram Storm, which are some genetics we quite like."
The horned April 2023-drop bull was out of a Newcomen cow and recorded a scrotal circumference of 40 centimetres.
The bull ranked in the top 5 per cent of the Hereford breed for 200, 400 and 600-day weight and mature cow weight.
Turner Partnership runs a spring-calving operation and sells its weaner cattle at the Bairnsdale store sale every September when calves hit 12 months of age.
Elders Gippsland livestock manager Morgan Davies said an influx of Hereford bulls onto the market meant it was hard to achieve a high clearance.
"It's a sign of the times in the industry, Hereford bulls are getting harder to sell," Mr Davies said.
"However, all of the bulls that were sold at Barry's were bought by repeat buyers, showing that the cattle certainly respond and breed the right article."
Among the volume buyers was Mr Newcomen's son and daughter-in-law, Reece and Wendy Newcomen, Ensay North, who bought four bulls to a top price of $6000 and three for $5000.
Martin and Jo McNarmara, trading as MT & JE McNamara, Nariel Valley, along with their 16-year-old son Jake, bought three bulls to a top price of $7000.
The McNamaras bought four bulls from the stud in 2024 and have purchased cattle from Newcomen Herefords for more than a decade.
Mr McNamara said he returned to the stud each year because of the bulls' proven temperament.
The family runs a Hereford herd of 270 mixed-aged breeders and producers cattle for the north-east Victorian weaner sales, held at Wodonga each January.
Gippsland grazier Tim Marshall, Orbost, was another volume buyer who bought three bulls for $5000 each.
It was the first time in several years Mr Marshall had returned to the Ensay stud to buy cattle.
"We run a Hereford beef operation with 140 breeders," Mr Marshall said.
"We sell most of our cattle direct to abattoirs with cattle weighing 350-400 kilograms deadweight."
Several bulls were purchased by clients online using AuctionsPlus, including MD Altschwager & Sons, Tantanoola, SA, who bought two bulls, Lots 18 and 48, for $5000.
Old Farm Pastoral, Glen Innes, NSW, was another interstate buyer which bought Lot 14 for $7000.
Thirty-three registered bidders watched the sale online, however, only three bulls sold to clients operating via AuctionsPlus.
The sale was supported strongly by a handful of Omeo graziers, including Bernard and Brenda Flannagan who bought Lot 35, Newcomen Urania, for $5000, and PC & CG Faithfull who bought three lots to a top price of $6000.
Alan and Noeleen Smith, Innisfail, Cobungra River, bought one bull, Lot 9, Newcomen Uardy, for $9000, AL Fitzgerald, Omeo, bought Lot 23, Newcomen Uranga, for $7000, and Greg and Lisa Lee, Omeo, bought Lot 33, Newcomen Uraguay, for $5000.
Further afield, Driffield grazier David Jeffrey bought three lots to a top price of $6000 twice, while Kent Park, Calulu, bought Lot 8, Newcomen Urchin, for $8500.
Mr Newcomen's brother and sister-in-law, Evan and Dot Newcomen, Ensay, bought two bulls, Lot 4, Newcomen Utah, and Lot 5, Newcomen Uboat, for $5000 and $8000, respectively.
The $8000 lot was the second top-priced bull of the sale.
