Commercial producer buys top bull at 2025 BJF invitational sale for $36,000
A commercial producer from New South Wales has bought the top-priced bull at the 2025 BJF Limousin Invitational bull sale for more than double the top price achieved the previous year, at a sale that otherwise offered good value for buyers.
More than 100 people attended the Frohloff family's Yarraman property for their ninth annual sale on Friday, August 14, including repeat buyers from local areas, western Queensland, and NSW.
A total of 52 lots sold on the day from 69 offered for a 75.4 per cent clearance, a gross sale value of $454,500, and an average price of $8740.
Vendors offered 17 more bulls than at the 2024 sale in 2025.
By comparison, 53 of 53 bulls sold at the 2024 sale for a 100pc clearance, an $8740 average, and a top of $16,000.
Mick O'Sullivan and family of the O'Sullivans Black Limousin stud, Lower Mount Walker, sold the top-priced bull to Robert Gill and family of Alexander Downs, Merriwa, NSW.
Bidding started on O'Sullivans Ulysses when Bartholomew & Co agent Garth Weatherall had barely started his description of the two-year-old homozygous polled bull, and finished at $36,000.
He weighed 836 kilograms, with an eye muscle area of 147 square centimetres, scrotal circumference of 36.5cm, intramuscular fat of 5.7pc, as well as P8 and rib fat measurements of 11 and eight millimetres.
Mr O'Sullivan said O'Sullivans Ulysses exemplified the attributes his family was targeting: a good structure, length, docility, and a wonderful muscle pattern.
"We look across Australia for good sires," Mr O'Sullivan said.
"We bought Ulysses' sire, Warrawindi Responder, from Warrawindi Farms in Penola, South Australia.
"Ulysses' dam, O'Sullivans Black Pearl, is a full sister to O'Sullivans Radium, who won grand champion bull at Ekka 2022.
"We have kept semen from Ulysses to use in our breeding program."
The top bull buyers had a herd of Angus and Angus-cross commercial breeders, a feedlot, and an abattoir that supplied Woolworths.
Mr Gill said he had never seen a bull as quiet as Ulysses in more than 40 years of buying.
"We were looking for a lovely, soft bull with plenty of meat, and that is what we got today," Mr Gill said.
"We bought Special K from the O'Sullivans three years ago, and he has performed for us.
"We will put Ulysses across a group of about 40 Angus cows.
"Hopefully, he will produce steers we can show at our local show and the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza."
Significant interest from western buyers underpinned the overall result, with three families in total from Dirranbandi, Wallumbilla, and Toobeah picking up four or more head.
Andrew Price and family of Miegunyah, Dirranbandi, bought the largest number of lots on the day: six head for an average value of $7167.
Mr Price said his family was looking to increase the Limousin content in their herd, while maintaining their focus on breeding quality Brafords in a separate mob.
"We have been buying Limousins for about five years now, and like their ability to lay down muscle, perform in the feedlot and on the hook," Mr Price said.
"The bulls we bought today will be naturally joined to Brangus and Ultrablack cows over about five or six months."
The 2025 BJF sale offered good value on quality bulls, and buyers were willing to pay high prices for the top of the range, according to Bartholomew & Co agent Garth Weatherall.
Aussie Land and Livestock agent Midge Thompson said the firm commercial market at the time of writing should sustain bull prices in the weeks ahead.
- Selling agents: Aussie Land & Livestock, Bartholomew & Co, interfaced with AuctionsPlus
