NT Senepol and Senegus sale bull buyer takes home three for the price of two

Calliope beef producer Philip Mann, Wycheproof, couldn't have been happier after jagging three bulls for the price of two at this year's NT Senepol and Senegus Bull Sale at CQLX Gracemere on Monday, June 30.

Run as a helmsman auction by GDL and AuctionsPlus, vendors Col, Janelle, Blair and Ashleigh Godfrey, Namoona Trig Senepols, Casino, NSW, had 29 lots - 18 Senepols and 11 Senegus - for sale with 12 sold at the conclusion of the auction.

This year's average of $6000 was up on last year's figure of $5285, as was the top price up on last year's figure of $7500.

A repeat buyer of Namoona Trig Senepols for the past six years, Mr Mann bought the 2025 top price bull, Upper Daradgee, for $9000, and a 23-month-old red Senegus bull, Undercliffe, for $5000.

In the catalogue, Upper Daradgee was described as "a real standout, soft, deep-sided, quiet, impressive scrotal, double muscle free and double slick".

The purebred, 20-month-old, double polled, red bull was sired by Namoona Rawdon Vale and was out of Namoona Kit Gallium.

Weighing 592 kilograms, Upper Daradgee had a P8 and rib score of 9 mm and 7 mm respectively, an eye muscle area of 122sq cm, a scrotal circumference of 38cm and a 5 per cent intramuscular fat (IMF) scan.

A repeat buyer of the Godfreys, Mr Mann said he bought the top priced bull for lots of reasons, but one of them was that he had a very good temperament.

"Very good conformation-wise, he was a bit of a standout as far as I was concerned, (and) he had good figures, good weight for age, one of the heavier, younger-aged bulls," he said.

"We've been buying Senepol bulls (since about 2013/14) for crossbreeding over what started out as a Brahman base herd and we've progressively been bringing in other adapted Bos Taurus genetics to get a bit of hybrid vigour and allow us to target other markets to flatten the back out," he said.

A family concern, the 20,000 acre property, Wycheproof, is a breeding, growing and fattening operation with up to 1100 breeders.

Mr Mann said he chose the Senepols to put the flat back into his Brahmans because it was a diverse breed and you got hybrid vigour straight up across the Brahman.

He also liked that they were tropically adapted, were homozygous polled, had good conformation and the right physical attributes in terms of their meat quality.

Mr Mann said he was very surprised that the top price was only $9000.

"From my perspective, I'm happy because...I was able to get very good quality animals at a very reasonable price," he said.

As a buyer promotion, the Godfreys offered up a purebred Senepol bull where every bidder got one entry and every purchaser another entry, with the winner being Mr Mann.

"So I've had a very good day..they don't happen too often, but when they do, you've got to appreciate them," Mr Mann said.

"The bull I won, he sired the two (bulls) I bought...and had a very high percentage of the progeny in the catalogue so obviously he's working, he's fertile and he's throwing good temperament in his cows."

This year's gross was $72,000, while the clearance rate for this year's sale of 41 per cent was significantly down on last year's figures of 62 per cent, when 21 bulls were sold of the 33 bulls offered.

Col Godfrey said this year's sale was disappointing.

"We were expecting a considerably better result, but that's the thing about auctions, it's what happens on the day," he said.

Mr Godfrey said the top priced bull had such a good body on him and was so well grown.

"Although the bulls this year were lighter generally because of the conditions we've had to prepare them and grow them, which was different to a lot of people," he said.

"We had basically drought that ran into never-ending rain...we've had, so far this year, about 1200 millimetres."

Mr Godfrey said the final preparation for the bulls was mainly on Riverina stud cattle pellets in the paddock with grass and no hay.

"Leading up to that things were very ordinary," he said.

A breeder of Senepols for the past 19 years, Mr Godfrey said he did not really know why sales had stalled a bit for the breed.

"Because they've certainly got the qualities (that suit) almost all cross breeding operations...they're tropical cattle, (they've got) British meat quality, they're flatbacks and they're hardy," he said.

"So it's a combination of assets that would suit this Queensland environment and they've obviously got good temperament and (they're) double polled, and...we don't use sires that carry the double muscle genes (or genes) other than the slick coat gene."

Mr Godfrey said the family would have to assess whether they would do a similar sale next year, but thanked all the bidders and purchasers for their support.

• Selling agents, GDL and Auctions Plus