A work of art in Booroomooka Picasso, with buyers from Tasmania to Queensland

Pride in the breeding of Angus cattle since 1926 was evident in the catalogue of 243 Booroomooka stud bulls with sales from Queensland to Tasmania.

A top price of $60,000 was paid by repeat buyers, the Doak family, Box Moor Angus, Bundarra, with 238 bulls averaging $13,512, to gross $3,216,000. It was an $826 increase in last year's average of $12,686, with a 98 per cent clearance.

The Doaks are long-term repeat buyers, buying the sale topper in 2023, paying $46,000 and bought the first lot of the day in 2024 at $34,000.

Brad Doak said the bull's attractions were its outlook and carriage combined with a great set of performance and estimated breeding values.

"We've been buying bulls here at Booroomooka since the late 1990s," he said, "and they have always worked really well for us."

He said progeny of the sale topper from 2023 were now on the ground and were looking like excellent prospects.

"We mainly look for structure and good maternal traits, then we can breed some good cow lines, which then carry through in our bulls.

Sired by Chiltern Park Picasso P9, Booroomooka Picasso U1237 is a 23-month-old weighing 754 kilograms, out of a Rennylea Magnum M6 female.

The bull's EBVs for its 200-day growth were +107, in the top 15 per cent of the breed, mature cow weight of +128, also top 15pc, while its eye muscle area of +12.8 and intramuscular fat +4.8 were both in the top five pc.

Its Angus selection indexes of $A at $266 and $A-L of $453 were also in the top five per cent.

Box Moor Angus also paid $30,000 for Boorooomooka Ultimo U720, a son of Baldridge Versatile B160 out of an EF Complement 8088 female. It weighed 816kg and had an $A index of $273.

The Paterson family's Heart Angus, Tamworth, paid $50,000 for a son of Booroomooka Paragon P96 out of a Rennylea L519 female.

Weighing 836kg, the 24-month-old had 400-day and 600-day EBvs in the top 15pc, scrotal size of +4.2, top five pc, an IMF of +4.9, top 10pc and an index for $A of $271, which is also top five pc.

Mr Paterson said Booroomooka Paragon U670, weighing 836kg with a scrotal size of 42 centimetres, would be a great outcross for his family's herd.

"We liked him for his very good structure. Booroomooka does a very good job in the correctness of their cattle," he said.

"Weight for age, he was one of the heaviest bulls in the catalogue; he's just a great overall package."

Mr Paterson said U670 would be joined to cows in October.

"But we are mainly autumn joining our cows, so his main job will begin next May," he said.

He added that U670 would be only joined naturally at this stage and as a back-up bull in the stud's artificial breeding program.

Highview Stock, Coolah, paid $40,000 for Booroomooka Universal U624, sired by Rennylea S69, out of an EF Complement 8088 female.

It rated in the top five pc of the breed with the $A index of $275. Its 400-day and 600-day EBVs for growth were in the top 15pc, while its milk EBV at +28 was in the top five pc of the breed.

Highview also paid $30,000 for Boorooomooka Utah U12, sired by Paragon P96 out of a Rennylea L519 female.

In closer examination, 19 of the Paragon P96 sons in the first 50 lots sold to $50,000, averaging $21,842.

Consolidated Pastoral Company, Biloela, Queensland, bought a Paragon P96 son for $35,000 and a Murdeduke Quarterback Q011 son for $20,000.

Manuka Properties, King Island, Tasmania, bidding online, bought a Paragon P96 son for $22,000 and another from the same sire at $16,000.

Also from Tasmania were Doug and Wendy Collins, King Angus Beef, buying eight bulls.

James Harris, Forster and Sons, Abington, Uralla, the buyer of last year's sale topper at $46,000, was another active long-term repeat buyer since the early 1990s.

Mr Harris bought four bulls for $30,000, $26,000 and two for $20,000.

His top-priced choice, Booroomooka Unstoppable, was sired by GB Fireball 672 out of a Booroomooka Yogi female.

East Rossgole, Scone, was the leading volume buyer, with 11 bulls, while another repeat volume buyer, SN Nivison, Walcha, bought nine bulls.

The selling agents were Davidson Cameron and Company. The auctioneers were Luke Scicluna, Tom Tanner and Nick Rogers. AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.