East Gippsland Hereford stud sees influx of new clients after open day
Valley Vista Hereford stud, Buchan, attracted several newcomers to its sale this year after a successful Stock & Land Beef Week open day.
The sale offered 21 bulls and sold 18 to average $7156, with more selling privately afterwards.
The top-priced bull was Lot 22, Valley Vista Ulysses U372, which sold for $11,000 to repeat buyer Russell Foster, Omeo.
Valley Vista stud principal Rick Hodge said the sale-topper was one of the youngest bulls in the drop.
"He has a beautifully smooth shoulder, ideal for calving ease, while still showing impressive thickness and muscle for a calf of his age," Mr Hodge said.
"[The bull] is a well-balanced bull with excellent cosmetics and a calm temperament that should contribute to his longevity."
Buyers came from locally and interstate, which Mr Hodge attributed to their successful Stock & Land Beef Week open day, which attracted visitors from Tasmania, NSW and western Victoria.
"We had around 30 people look at our bulls and that meant we were able to sell to people who had not bought from us before," he said.
"We are very happy with how the sale went and we are very pleased with the clearance rate."
New client Stanford Poll Herefords, Bathurst, NSW, bought two bulls, Lot 2 for $9000 and Lot 20 for $7000.
The large NSW stud runs 300 stud cattle alongside 400 commercial cattle and sells around 45 bulls a year.
Stanford Herefords stud principal Michael Rutherford visited Valley Vista for the first time during Stock & Land Beef Week.
"We were travelling around for Beef Week and the first impression we had when we got out of the car was 'this bloke has got good cattle'," Mr Rutherford said.
"They were all a good colour and all structurally correct which just hit you in the face as soon as you got out of the car."
Damien Rieniets, Yinnar, was another volume buyer who purchased Lot 3 for $7000 and Lot 7 for $6000.
Mr Rieniets has been a repeat buyer for the past few years with multiple bull purchases.
Mr Hodge said it had been a tough season for many but the stud had been lucky in East Gippsland with a reasonable summer despite a very tough winter last year.
"We appreciate the interest people have shown in our cattle, even from those who didn't purchase this year," he said.
"A lot of work goes into it, so it's encouraging to know that our vision of breeding meaty, well-balanced and good-skinned Hereford cattle is shared by others."
