Boonderoo Brangus legacy concludes with $833,000 dispersal sale
After 36 years of breeding Brangus cattle, Richard and Diane Pender of Boonderoo Brangus, Tansey, concluded their decades-long operation with a highly successful full dispersal sale at the Gympie Saleyards on Saturday, June 14.
The sale drew strong support from across the country, resulting in a complete clearance and gross of $833,000.
A total of 39 registered buyers secured cattle from the Boonderoo herd, many of which will now continue their influence in Brangus stud operations around Australia.
In total, 233 females averaged $3294, reaching a top price of $9000. Senior sires topped at $16,000, averaging $13,000, while 11 yearling bulls sold to a top of $5200 and averaged $3536.
Additionally, a canister containing 632 straws of semen across 16 sires was sold for $3800.
The top-priced lot of the day was Bonox 1511, a sire previously sold through the Central Brangus Classic Sale, which changed hands for $16,000 to an online buyer.
A daughter of Fearnley Laird 1212, Boonderoo Ms Laird 6N8, was the highest-selling female, fetching $9000 when purchased by the Comiskey family of Braveheart Brangus, Biloela.
The 11-month-old Boonderoo Max 756V, a son of Bonox 1511, was the top yearling bull, and sold to Bruce and Leanne Woodard of Bonox stud, Taroom, for $5200.
Established in 1989, Boonderoo Brangus began with Angus females joined to Brahman bulls and quickly grew into a well-respected Brangus herd.
The Penders purchased a handful of registered females in the early years and built the herd up to over 400 head at its peak, later managing around 200 registered stud cows in their final years.
Mr Pender said the dispersal marked the end of a chapter as the couple entered retirement.
"We started with Angus cows, but they didn't really suit the country on the north coast of NSW," he said.
"Brangus were around, I liked the look of them, and we went from there."
Over the years, Boonderoo cattle were run across a variety of properties and country types, including Ulmarra and Inverell in NSW, and most recently at Tansey.
"The Brangus suited all of it," Mr Pender said.
A notable aspect of the sale was the number of lots purchased by other stud operations.
"Quite a few of the cattle have gone to stud homes, and some new studs are being established off the back of this sale," Mr Pender said.
"That's a great outcome, and we're truly grateful."
The entire catalogue was registered stud stock, offering buyers the rare opportunity to secure long-held Boonderoo genetics, which have seldom been available to the wider market.
With the herd now dispersed and the property sold, the Penders said they were pleased with the final result.
"It was a really good outcome - it could have gone the other way, but we're happy," Mr Pender said.
"Once the weaners go on Thursday, we'll be done."
- Agents: Sullivan Livestock
