Knowla secures top bull at Bald Blair, local and Queensland buyers active
A renowned Angus stud has purchased the top bull at the annual Bald Blair sale, held on-property near Guyra on August 5.
All up, the stud sold 73 of 74 two-year-old bulls to average $10,438.
In the 18-month-old bulls, 16 of 18 averaged $8437, while all five yearling bulls averaged $13,600. One of the passed in lots sold afterwards.
Knowla Livestock, Gloucester, off the back of its own strong sale, paid $24,000 for Bald Blair Ubiquitous U222, an August-2023 drop by Bald Blair Momentous R71 and from Bald Blair Q221.
The bull weighed 822 kilograms and ranked in the top three per cent for intramuscular fat with an estimated breeding value of +5.7.
James Laurie, Knowla, said the IMF and pedigree were the main selling points.
"He's an outcross to our herd, he's not the biggest bull but he's thick," he said.
"Often you don't see a lot of thickness in the real high IMF bulls.
"We've got a few cows that probably need bringing back down a bit and still maintaining our IMF targets."
The bull would be used commercially and in the stud, he said.
He praised the lineup of bulls on offer and said he had been prepared to pay more.
Other notable sales in the two year olds included Bald Blair Confidence Plus U95, by Sterling Confidence Plus 804 and from Bald Blair S95, which sold for $22,000 to Fernhill Guyra Pty Ltd.
The bull ranked in the top 1pc for 200-, 400- and 600-day growth, respectively, as well as for carcase weight.
Also selling for $22,000 was another Sterling Confidence Plus son in Bald Blair Confidence Plus U89, from Bald Blair S164.
The bull sold to Michael Marshman, Manilla, and ranked in the top 3pc for growth traits and eye muscle area, as well as the top 10pc for carcase weight.
Mr Marshman also paid $14,000 for Bald Blair U308, a Millah Murrah Paratrooper descendent that ranked in the top 5pc for growth traits and the top 6pc for calving ease.
Bald Blair U305, by Bald Blair Quebec Q133 and from Bald Blair L32, sold for $20,000 to EC Graham and Co, Armidale.
The heifer bull was in the top 1pc for birthweight and rib fat, the top 2pc for birthweight, and top 4pc for calving ease.
The same buyer also paid $14,000 for the SS Brickyard son, Bald Blair Brickyard U82.
Gowen Family Estates, Uralla, outlaid $18,000 for Bald Blair U324, by Bald Blair Momentous R71, with top 11pc IMF.
The operation also bought another Sterling Confidence Plus son, Bald Blair Confidence Plus U175, for $14,000.
The top-priced yearling bull, Bald Blair Victor V133, sold for $20,000 to Talooby Angus, Rylstone.
The heifer bull ranked in the top 7pc for IMF and top 13pc for birthweight.
Another yearling, Bald Blair Victor V201, by Bald Blair Sterling S86, sold for $16,000 to Urandangie Pastoral Holdings, Guyra.
The same operation also paid $14,000 for another yearling in Bald Blair V259.
The top-priced 18-month-old was a heifer bull, Bald Blair Resilient, by Sitz Resilient 10208. It sold to Wilgar Partnership of Walcha.
Volume buyers included Wirrimbi Pastoral Company, Hernani, which purchased five bulls averaging $11,200.
Tarrawonga, Armidale, also bought five to average $10,000.
JBR Grazing, Roma, Qld, selected six bulls averaging $9833, while the Murray family, also of Roma, averaged $10,000 for a draft of six.
PG and MJ Wyatt, Guyra, averaged $6167 for six.
Sam White, Bald Blair, said it was a great result with the clearance up on last year's sale.
He said the stud had worked hard to produce a tight draft of bulls.
There were a lot of return buyers as well as some newer clients, Mr White said.
"To be rewarded with two studs, both Knowla and Talooby, that doesn't often happen for us - we're pumped," he said.
"We spend a lot of effort working on carcase attributes, EMA and IMF, and now carcase weight," he said.
"Over time it'll be a lot of work trying to combine that with NFI-F [net feed intake, feedlot] and - in time - methane."
Elders conducted the sale with Paul Dooley, Tamworth, the guest auctioneer. AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.
