Caskieben Archer hits target at Naracoorte Shorthorn multi-vendor sale
The 2025 Naracoorte Shorthorn Bull Sale was a day for the buyers with many of the lots selling under the odds.
The driest season in the South East and western Victoria in many decades, where many of the bulls have traditionally gone, took its toll with only half of the catalogue finding homes.
The four SA and Vic vendors sold 15 bulls from 30 offered for a $7800 average at the Pathfinder sale complex last week.
In comparison in 2024, 31 of 46 bulls from seven vendors topped at $24,000 and averaged $8355.
Long-time vendors the Williamson family, Caskieben stud, Carisbrook, Vic, received the $14,000 top price for lot 21, Caskieben Archer U68.
The eye appealing, June 2023 drop was AI bred - a son of Bayview Archer M15 was also out of one of their top cows, Caskieben Matilda.
The Higgins family, Patanga Pastoral Company, Avenue Range, secured the 818-kilogram sale topper, impressed with its moderate maturity pattern and a good spread of figures, including top 4pc for marbling and top 10pc for the All Purpose $ Index on the IGS system.
"He has great calving ease and is very good on eye muscle and fat and good docility and up there on weaning weight and yearling weight," Grant Higgins said.
Like many breeders this season Patanga Pastoral Co has been forced to reduce its herd numbers but is running about 350 Shorthorn females.
Their target market is selling 350kg to 400kg weaners in the Mount Gambier store sale where they often are among the high prices.
"Dad (Keith Higgins) and Mike (former agent Mike Newton) built a great herd so we need to keep going in that direction buying good, soft doing bulls," he said.
"This one and the one we bought at the Bayview sale will do the heifers just nicely."
Caskieben stud principal Alex Williamson described it as a "tough sale"- although they fared the best of the four studs - selling seven of nine bulls for a $7857 average. They also sold one after the sale.
"It was a great run of bulls and I think some buyers are going to do pretty well out of them," he said.
"There are some exciting things to come for the Shorthorn breed, we just need climatic conditions to change back in our favour."
The Brook family, Bulart, Vic, sold their lot 13 bull, Eloora Nashville U145 for the second highest price of $13,000.
The soft roan bull was sired by Eloora Geelong - who also sired the 2024 Naracoorte sale topper - and had been used on heifers as a yearling.
The winning bid for Nashville- who had ranked in the top 5pc for carcase weight and top 10pc for the All Purpose $Index - came through AuctionsPlus from Lochinver, Carisbrook, Vic.
Eloora sold five of its seven bulls for a $8200 average.
Long-time supporters, the Ratcliff family, Wirrildee Props, Kingston SE, made the most of the good buying with three bulls to an $11,00 high and $7667 average.
Matt and Toni Ashby and family, Bundaleer stud, Gulnare, who reached a remarkable 80-year milestone for their stud only sold two of their seven bulls. The Pridham family, Nentoura stud, Frances, sold one of their seven bulls.
Nutrien stud stock's Richard Miller -who was the sale auctioneer- said there was great value for money with the sale needing a couple more bulk buyers to boost the clearance.
"They fought over the better bulls which made close to their value but there was still a percentage of bulls that should have sold that didn't and it was just lack of buyers," he said.
"This year we are finding that people spent their bull budgets on hay last year.
"The bulls in their bull paddocks have to go around again. they couldn't t afford $10,000 for a bull, that had to go to a load of hay."
Mr Miller said the quality of the bulls was "exceptional" and commended the studs on how they had presented their bulls with very little paddock feed.
Sale coordinator Rosemary Miller said it was pleasing to see long-time clients and a few new buyers were able to purchase high-quality bulls at great value.
"It was also a year where the sale bulls showed the doing ability that the Shorthorn breed is renowned for," she said.
Nutrien and Elders were joint selling agents.
