Texas Angus creates a virtual record and 100pc clearance of 283 bulls

The buyer of last year's top-priced bull at Texas Angus, Warialda, has returned to double up on the genetic gains the cattle offer and bought the sale topper at this season.

Chris and Robin Kemp of Eungy Pastoral Company, Milparinka, Blackall, Queensland, were the buyers of the top-priced bull, Texas U-Cracker U983, selling for $75,000 on Thursday, July 31.

The sale could also be described as a 'cracker' with 283 of 283 bulls selling, averaging $16,226, while one stud heifer sold for $32,500, with the entire proceeds going to Angus Australia's youth program.

The sale grossed $4,592,000.

Mr Kemp, whose family operation runs 3000 cows on Blackall district properties, finishes the cattle as grass-fed bullocks and produces high levels of MSA grades.

U983 was sired by Poss Deadwood, a line of bulls that keeps kicking goals with high-quality sires for the Mayne family's stud.

Last year's sale-topper was sired by Poss Rawhide, and in 2023, the national all-breeds record price of $360,000 was paid for Texas Thunderstruck T383 that Poss Rawhide also sired.

Mr Kemp said both bulls had been excellent carcase sires with great temperament and style.

He said the levels of intramuscular fat exhibited in the Texas bulls were also high on his list of needs.

U983's data set laid out in specific terms its potential with estimated breeding values in the top two to four per cent of the Angus breed for 200-day, 400-day and 600-day growth of +70, +118 and +161, respectively. Its CWT (carcase weight) EBV is +99 eye muscle area (EMA) +9.1, and intramuscular fat EBV is +2.8

Its mature cow weight (MCW) was +172, milk +10 days to calving (DTC) -6.1 and a birthweight (BW) EBV of +6.0. The September 25, 2023, bull weighed 1038 kilograms, an average daily gain of 1.54kg.

Mr Kemp said he had turned the increased prices for cattle to his advantage by lowering his breeding cow numbers and keeping a larger reserve of grass for his cattle.

Killing his grass-fed cattle at Oakey and Mackay, he said last week, 10 decks of two and four-tooth bullocks yielded an average of 390kg carcase weight, with a hook price of $7.30/kg to return $2847 a head.

He said 95 per cent of the draft graded an MSA score of 61 or more.

How the opening lots sold and faces in the crowd at Texas Angus.

The second top-priced bull was a son of Texas Iceman, the $225,000 sale topper in 2021, Texas U Dah Man U317, sold for $65,000 to Hatton and Company, Dareen Eidsvold, Queensland.

Out of a Coonamble H268 female, the 1006kg, July 2023 drop calf was described as a sale favourite by the Mayne family.

It has a BW of +4.7, milk of +11, MCW of +124 and growth figures of +46 200-day, +82 400-day and + 120 for 600-day. It also had an EMA of +4.5and an IMF of +2.3, with a CWT EBV of +68.

Another bull selling for $65,000 was Texas Underdog U1000, sired by Bellaspur Platinum P46 out of a Texas Nasa R157 female.

It was bought by Ciesiolka Farming, Aubigny, Qld. The 1082k bull posted an average daily gain of 1.58kg and had a BW of +5.9, milk +18, MCW +141, EMA +8.5 and an IMF of +3.3. Its 200-day was +63, 400-day +111 and 600-day + 153.

Greenlands, Ban Ban, Ben Lomond, paid $50,000 for Texas U Better Believe It U995, a 1002kg son of Landfall New Ground N90 out of a Rennylea K447 female.

This bull was another curve bender with its EBV data: +4.9BW, top one pc in the breed for days to calving (DTC) -9.2 and scrotal circumference (SS) +5.4, and top six pc for CWT +94, EMA +12.4 and retail beef yield (RBY) +1.4.

Plumthorpe Pastoral Company, Barraba paid $47,5000 for Texas Deadwood U999, sired by Poss Deadwood out of a Texas Total female.

Volume buyers are the key to the clearance of the catalogue and also determine the number of bulls offered at the sale, co-principal Ben Mayne said after the sale.

"We had to expand (the sale bull numbers) because of the amount of clientele we were getting," Mr Mayne said.

"After 2021 and '22, when we had those massive averages, we had a number of clients who loved coming here, who couldn't get a bull."

Queensland volume buyers were active, both in the sale barn and online.

Early in the sale, Charvel Grazing, Theodore, Qld, bought three bulls for $22,000, 28,000 and $30,000 in the first 10 offered. They represented three different sires, Poss Rawhide, Sterling Pacific 904 and Texas Brad Pitt Q065.

Comet Downs, Comet in Central Queensland, were also volume buyers with a GAR Hometown Hero son for $20,000, a Texas Maverick R746 son at $18,000.

This year's bull sale also set a new benchmark for a national online studstock sale, with 2064 individual log-ins on Auctions Plus, and 824 registered users. Fifteen individual online buyers out of 29, bought 28 bulls.

The day's first lot was the pick of three heifers with the entire proceeds going to Angus Australia's youth programs.

Another of the Poss Rawhide bevy of leading genetics made its mark with Texas Usherette U388, a paternal sister to the $360,000 Thunderstruck, selling for $32,500 to Moorunga Angus stud, Dromana, Victoria.

The selling agents were GDL and BJA. The auctioneers were Wayne York, Mark Duthie and Josh Heck. AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.