Sire leaves lasting legacy on Yallambee Angus as last bulls sell at dispersal

One sire has left his mark within the Yallambee Angus program, as the last bulls of the stud sold last Thursday on-property near Berrima, in the Southern Highlands.

After a decade of breeding, David Croker, Yallambee Angus, held the program's first and last on-property bull sale with the two top-priced bulls of both Angus and Red Angus drafts sired by Milwillah Blackout Q822.

In fact, 60 per cent of the sale draft was made up of his progeny in both the Angus and Red Angus bulls, with a 16-month-old son, Yallambee Blackout V44, topping the sale, selling for $29,000 to Victorian-based stud Paringa Livestock, Yea.

The sale resulted in full clearance in the Angus draft with all 24 bulls sold to a top of $22,000 for an average of $9666, while 11 of the 12 Red Angus bulls sold to $29,000 for an average of $11,090.

Yallambee Blackout V44 tipped the scales at 600 kilograms and was out of Yallambee Hannah N15, which also produced Yallambee Hannah S121 - the second-top-priced Red Angus cow in the stud's female dispersal in October last year, selling for $10,000.

The Red Angus bull also recorded an eye muscle area of 101 square centimetres, along with rib and P8 fat scans of seven millimetres and 10mm, respectively, and an intramuscular fat content of 7.4 per cent.

In his estimated breeding values (EBVs) he ranked in the top 20pc of the breed for gestation length and rib fat with figures of -2.2 and +0.2, respectively, while also ranking in the top 25pc for birthweight with a figure of +2.1 and the top 30pc for rump fat with a value of +0.0 and intramuscular fat with a figure of +0.4.

He also recorded above breed average EBVs for calving ease direct with a figure of +0.3, as well as all his growth traits and dollar indexes.

Paringa Livestock co-principal Olivia Lawson said the young sire could be a "game changer" Red Angus bull with a unique pedigree being by a proven sire in Milwillah Blackout Q822.

"He offers maternal and carcase qualities, with good structure," she said.

"We inspected him in person and liked his free movement and temperament.

"We thought he brings together the best attributes from his sire, Blackout, and maternal sire Detour [Red Lazy MC CC Detour 2W]."

Mrs Lawson said the interest for quality Australian Red Angus genetics was growing due to their heat tolerance and disease resistance, as well as maternal and carcase attributes.

The second top-priced bull was Yallambee Blackout U273, purchased by repeat local clients, the Reynolds Family, Twyzel Pastoral Company, Lake Bathurst, for $22,000.

The bull was also sired by Milwillah Blackout Q822 and weighed in at 900kg with a scrotal circumference of 40cm.

Blackout U273 scanned 12mm and 10mm over his P8 and rib fats, respectively, with an EMA of 129sq cm, and the highest IMF scan in the catalogue of 8pc.

The 23-month-old sire was out of Dunoon Anguish Q245, who was a descendant of Lawsons Momentous M518. He had a mature cow height EBV in the top 6pc with +0.41 and in the top 15pc for his mature body condition with +11.7.

Simon Reynolds, Twyzel Pastoral Company, Lake Bathurst, said the young bull was the type the operation was looking for to add to their spring calving herd.

"I like his thickness and a lot of his figures added up to where we are heading with our breeding, putting shape into the cattle," he said.

"We've been buying bulls from David for the last four years, and we are getting results from that."

The family-run program runs about 170 Angus cows with heifers being retained, while the steer portion is grown out to feeder weights on grazing crops.

Mr Reynolds said they had previously used genetics which put frame and growth into the cattle, but now the family aims to put more carcase and shape into the progeny, with eye muscle being a priority when choosing future sires.

Volume buyers were active throughout the sale with Hollywood Pastoral Company, Crookwell, purchasing three bulls for a top of $14,000 to average $11,333, while Oorandunbie Enterprises, Walcha, also took home three bulls for a top of $12,000 to average $10,000.

Yallambee Angus stud principal David Croker was pleased with the results.

"The sale was very well supported by my local clients," he said.

"Although it is an end of an era, those better genetics that we have put in through the program in the years have really shone through."

Bulls sold to Victoria, Tasmania and NSW. The sale was conducted by Nutrien and Elders, while AuctionsPlus provided the interface.