Strong northern support boosts Seifert Belmont Red bull sale average price

Strong interest from northern parts of Australia helped the seventh annual Seifert Belmont Reds bull sale, held on-property at Jandowae on Monday, August 11, hit an average back in double figures.

Stud principals Ian Stark and Jeanne Seifert said it had been satisfying to see a final average of $10,313 for the 83 bulls they'd sold.

That represented a 100 per cent clearance, which Mr Stark said was most important to achieve.

"In a year in which people are being fairly cautious, we're very happy to see that," he said.

The top price at the Helmsman sale was $23,000, a drop from the 2024 sale top of $31,000, but this year's average was a big lift from the $8949 they received last year.

This year's sale gross of $1,028,500 for 122 head was also considerably higher than the $886,000 gross at last year's sale, which saw all 99 bulls sold.

For the second time ever, the stud offered a draft of heifers pregnancy tested in calf to two PP bulls in their herd, resulting in all 38 head sold, for a top price of $6000 and an average price of $4539.

This year's top price of $23,000 for a bull, paid by Marlborough's Bowman Cattle Co, was for a homozygous polled bull with 14 of 18 traits above the breed average.

The 22-month-old bull, SE1240637, weighed 706kg, had an eye muscle area of 115 square centimetres, rib and rump fat measurements of 6 and 9 millimetres, and intra-muscular fat of 4.3pc.

Rick and Barbara Bowman, together with son Jamie and partner Joella Bowman, said they liked the bull's figures, especially the growth ones.

"He's a type we like, and he has a nice round head like an Angus - he's an all-round nice bull and he'll fit well in our herd," Mr Bowman said. "We also think the Belmonts' fertility is superior to other breeds we've tried."

They have a mixture of Belmont Red and Senepol cattle, plus Brangus and Angus, with the feeder market their ultimate aim.

"We like to cross red over black," Mr Bowman said. "We'll use a bit of Limousin at times too."

They were the underbidders on the second top-priced bull, which sold to the Gibson Grazing Co at Dalby via AuctionsPlus for $22,000.

That bull weighed 686kg at 22 months, had an EMA of 123sq cm, rib and rump fat of 7 and 8mm, and IMF of 5.1pc.

The Bowmans have been purchasing Seifert Belmont Red bulls for 10 years, and bought four on Monday for an average price of $13,750.

Two bulls were sold for $21,000 each, one to the Mt Playfair Cattle Co at Tambo, and one to AW and CM Kirby, Springsure.

Three bulls had sold for $20,000 when the sale concluded at 2.45pm, one to Augathella's Michael and Helen McKellar, one to Mt Mica Grazing Co at Clermont, and one to the Gibson Grazing Co.

Mr McKellar is a foundation client, buying Seifert Belmont Red bulls for 12 years, and said they suited their 600-day market as organic producers.

"They've got good carcase traits and they're docile and fertile," he said.

Of the female draft, the top price of $6000 was paid twice, by Andrea Patch from Bell, and by Gelliondale Belmont Reds, situated at Rush Creek, east of Dayboro.

The majority of the heifers offered, 22 in all, went to Don and Kim Kidd at Malanda, and Mr Stark said they'd bought three bulls at an earlier sale and were now planning to put them with their new female purchases.

The most Seifert Belmont Red heifers offered at sale before is 12, making Monday's offering of 38 more than triple that amount.

Mr Stark said they'd had a lot of questions about whether they'd sell any female cattle.

"We've been building our herd, but we're at capacity now, and so we had the ability to put some up for sale," he said.

Apart from the Kidds, volume buyers included S. Kidman and Co, Tennant Creek, who bought nine bulls for an average price of $7333, BR Pullen of Palmyra, who paid an average $5285 for seven heifers, AW and CA Lee, Capella, buying six bulls for an average $9000, and Mt Mica, who finished with seven bulls for an average of $10,857.

AuctionsPlus had 24 active bidders and 20 successful bidders.

• Selling agents - Elders, Nutrien, interfaced with AuctionsPlus