High-figured Mayura Wagyu heifer commands big price in worldwide interest

Bids came from around the world at Mayura full blood Wagyu's fifth annual high-performance production sale on Wednesday but it was the Australian breeders who secured the top lots.

The de Bruin family has one of the breed's most successful beef brands and it was evident that buyers wanted to secure these breed-leading genetics with the 32 bull, heifer and semen lots grossing an impressive $1.25 million.

In a total clearance, 21 full-blood heifers topped at $90,000 and averaged $37,286; seven bulls sold $55,000 and averaged $40,357; four semen packages averaged $23,500 per straw.

Lot 1, Mayura U1842, a Quantum daughter set a strong benchmark of $50,000 selling to the United States but it was local buyer GeneFlow, Tocumwal, NSW, which won many of the bidding duels to secure four heifers for a $66,250 average.

This included the $90,000 sale topper, lot 6 Mayura U1406, which had exceptional carcase and growth traits. This money was above the $86,000 sale high in 2023.

The two-year-old was embryo transfer bred and was a daughter of Mayura Notorious N0387, while her dam was a half-sibling to Mayura Quantum - a bull that has a carcase weight figure twice the national average.

GeneFlow's Keith Hay - who has been buying from Mayura for years - says U1406 was his top pick for her ranking as one of the highest eye muscle area Breedplan figures in the breed at 15.9, while also having a marble score 3.3.

"Scott is chasing high EMA and so am I, that is the highest priced cut when they sell a carcase so you have to be up there," he said.

"She has so much possibility, she isn't the number one but would be in the top 10 highest heifers on EMA."

U1406 will spend the next two years at Total Livestock Genetics in IVF production.

Mr Hay. who has been breeding Wagyu cattle for six years, sees a big future or the breed and has grown his herd to about 100 IVF and ET females.

"I believe along with the better pundits of the Wagyu that the future of the northern beef industry is going to be a three-way cross; Brahman and Angus, with Wagyu as the terminal sire," he said.

GeneFlow also bought lot 7, Mayura U1789, an 18-month-old daughter of Quantum for the sale's second-highest price - $70,000.

The heifer was in the top 5pc for EMA at +10.6 and marble fineness at +0.48.

Other multiple heifer buyers included Kildrummie Cattle Co, Colac, Vic, who bought three including lot 4, Mayura U2050 for $47,000.

The 18-month-old had the highest Breeder Feeder Indexes of all Quantum's 2023 drop heifers in the world at $586.

Topping the bull offering at $55,000 was lot 22, Mayura U1570, which was described as a "breed shaper" by auctioneer Lincoln McKinlay, Linc'D Pty Ltd.

The bull which was the second-highest BFI male born in 2023 also had a big 600-day weight of +66.

The son of Arubial United P0342 and out of a Junior daughter was knocked down on online platform Stock Live to Galileo Farming, NSW.

There were 66 buyers logged onto Stock Live as well as 210 viewers from as far afield as the United States, Canada and Thailand with online bids on every lot.

US breeders Bella Cattle Co, Tennessee; Ranger Cattle, Texas, and Rebel Wagyu, Texas, formed a syndicate to buy the next lot Mayura U0131 for $45,000.

All of the sires in the bull's pedigree were outstanding carcase producers.

The four semen packages - each comprising two straws - also sold well.

Two of these lots were semen from Itoshigenami (Junior) one of the most influential bulls in the breed. The first of these lots went to Wagyu Sekai, Canada, for $31,000 per straw, while the second had a slight discount at $28,000.

Mayura principal Scott de Bruin - who was recently bestowed life membership of the Australian Wagyu Association - was "very happy" with the sale result.

"It was a very strong sale given prices in the Wagyu feeder market are not that high and it was great to see so many repeat buyers," he said.

Mr de Bruin said they had chosen to not hold a sale in 2024 while they were getting more diversity in what they could offer.

"We had a few up-and-coming sires and wanted to be able to offer something special rather than the familiar sires of the year before but we also like to sell proven cattle - all of the sires were backed by data collected from hundreds of carcases," he said.

Ray White Dalby, Qld principal of rural and livestock sales David Felsch said the total clearance and achieving a $1.25m gross at a time the Wagyu breed was going through a tough time was testament to Mayura's breeding program.

"It is one of the top studs and the biggest meat brands in Australia if not the world, they do a good job and the cattle are appreciated," he said.

Mr Felsch said it was surprising that the bulls had averaged more than the heifers but put it down to the strong competition for the Mayura genetics.