Leawood's strong result rounds out the autumn bull-selling season

The Victorian autumn bull-selling season is winding down with a bang, with a high price and near-total clearance achieved by one Gippsland Angus stud.

This year, Leawood Angus, Flynn, made $2000 more for its top-priced bull than its 2024 sale.

The stud sold 40 of 44 bulls for an average of $9000 and top of $18,000.

The top-priced bull, Lot 8, Leawood Razor U439, went to Kevin Opray and Maree Avery, Hedley, who have 700 breeders.

Mr Opray said he and Ms Avery had been frequent repeat buyers at Leawood.

"It's nice to broaden the genetics a bit," he said.

He said conditions had been all right up until now, but the country needed rain.

"It's a bit too dry," he said.

"We keep getting a shower or two, so it's green."

Mr Opray said he had been "all over the state looking at cattle".

"And I don't think you can go past these," he said.

"I like the idea of the New Zealand genetics."

Leawood Razor R347SV sired the August 2023-drop bull out of Leawood Annie R373.

He had a birth weight of +6.8 kilograms, 200-day weight of +47kg, 400-day weight of +89kg and 600-day weight of +114kg.

He had a frame score of 6.9 and weighed 876kg in early April.

He had a rump measurement of 15 millimetres, rib of 19mm, intramuscular fat of 6.6 per cent and eye muscle area of 121 square centimetres.

Lot 4, Leawood Titan U351, and Lot 11, Leawood Pandemic U364, were the second highest-priced bulls, selling for $17,000 each.

Leawood stud co-principal Luke Stuckey said the stud was one of the last of the season to sell.

"We wonder whether it's a good thing or not but that was much better than we expected," he said.

"We thought we were in for a day, but it just shows the support we have got following us."

He said a lot of family businesses were return clients of Leawood.

While it looked green around the area, he said "a bit of rain will turn things around for us".

"But a lot of people are doing it much harder," he said.

He said the top-priced bull was a "moderate" animal, with plenty of thickness and "awesome docility".

"He is going to a great home, and we can always get some semen of him if we need," he said.

Nutrien south-east stud stock manager Peter Godbolt said there were return and new cllients, which was a testament to the program.

"They are just easy-doing cattle that perform," Mr Godbolt said.

"They are broadening their clientele a fair bit now.

"People are seeing them in a few more stores and prime sales."

He described the bulls offered by Leawood as "good, functioning cattle".

"They are high yielding and have a very good reputation for temperament," he said.

Mr Godbolt said there was confidence in the cattle market, with prices lifting in both store sales and kill cattle.

"It's kicked, and that's obviously on the back of the north having a pretty good season, but also, there are a lot of southerners who have got into the market," he said.

"They might not have had a lot of feed, but obviously, they are going to try and add value to the product."

Pregnancy-tested-in-calf cows and cows and calves sold to a top of $3000, averaging $3000.

Unjoined heifers went for a top of $1800 and unjoined heifers reached $1750.