The first progeny offered by a homebred sire were in demand at KO Angus sale

A homebred sire has continued to leave his mark within the herd at KO Angus, with the first of his progeny rising to the top at the stud's 29th on-property sale near Gundagai on Friday, August 22.

This year the stud increased the offering by 20 per cent with the addition of 10 specially selected heifers.

Overall, 72 of 77 bulls sold to a top price of $25,000 to average $11,555, while all 10 heifers sold for a top price of $13,000 to average $7300.

The top-priced bull was KO T243 Teleporter V62, who was purchased by Germaine and Barry Hannaford, Hannaford Cattle Company, Braidwood.

Sired by the $100,000 KO Teleporter T243, the 17-month-old bull weighed 630 kilograms with a scrotal circumference of 39 centimetres.

A descendent of the influential cow to the herd, KO Moongarra L75 on his sire's side and from the KO Dream S66, the young sire recorded 10 estimated breeding values in the top 20pc of the breed.

He recorded a calving ease direct figure of +8.3, placing him in the top 7pc, gestation length of -10.1, ranking him in the top 2pc, along with a days to calving of -6.5, placing him in the top 16pc.

He continued the high data through into his growth rates with a 200-day weight figure of +60, a 400-day of +110, 600-day of +141, mature cow weight of +135, and mature body condition score value of +0.65.

In his carcase figures, he ranked in the top 4pc with an eye muscle area of +12.9 and a rib fat value of +2.9, placing him in the top 6pc, all while placing in the top 7pc for all four of his $indexes.

Purchaser Barry Hannaford, Hannaford Cattle Company, Braidwood, said the sire ticked a lot of boxes for the family operation.

"His birthweight, his growth rates and all his figures are right up there," he said.

"He has a great phenotype; he is a beautiful-looking bull.

"He has some very powerful breeding behind him in his cow lines, which was a big thing about him.

"You go back through his pedigree, and all his ancestry is on the wall in the sale shed."

The Hannafords plan to collect semen from the bull to use throughout their operation, while also joining him to a select line of females.

The six-figure selling sire's progeny also rose to the top in the heifer draft, with two females, KO Dream V125 and KO Vicky V159, both secured by Dryburgh Angus Pty Ltd, Neerim Junction, Vic, for $13,000.

Being the first of five females bought by the Victorian stud, Dream V125 placed in the top 8pc for her days to calving figure of -7.3 as well as in the top 13pc for her retail beef yield value of +1.1 and ranking in the top 25pc for her calving ease and birthweight values.

The second equal top-priced heifer purchased by the Victorian stud was also sired by Teleporter T243 from a Murdeduke Quarterback daughter, KO Vicky T110.

The 12-month-old heifer ranked in the top 4pc for days to calving top 3pc for gestation length.

She also ranked in the top 20pc for mature body condition, the top 13pc for rib fat, and top 16pc for intramuscular fat.

All four of her $indexes ranked in the top 7pc.

The five females purchased by the stud averaged $8800.

Several volume buyers were active, with East Rossgole Pastoral Company, Rossgole, taking home seven bulls for a top of $17,000 to average $12,571, while Hanworth Station, Bannaby, secured two bulls for and average of $19,000 and three heifers for an average of $7000.

Repeat purchasers Somerton Pastoral Company, Lake Bathurst, took home four bulls averaging $14,250, while five bulls were knocked down to Carwoola Pastoral Company, Carwoola, near Bungendore, for an average of $10,000.

Ben Coster, manager of Carwoola Pastoral Company, said the operation had purchased bulls from KO Angus for the past five years, with the progeny performing well.

"We are actually breeding a lot of heifers, so we're having to buy up to eight heifer bulls every year," he said.

"I didn't need any cow bulls this year, just heifer bulls, as we buy the growthy heifer bulls and then they go out of that group and in with the other cow bulls."

The operation runs 1200 Angus breeders on 6070 hectares, with approximately 550 steers on crop at the moment, with the aim to sell them into the feeder market while retaining the heifer portion.

KO Angus stud principal Theo Onisforou said he was delighted with the result, with a strong clearance and average considering the larger offering of bulls.

"Teleporter's three daughters won reserve champion pen of heifers at the World Angus Forum," he said.

"We choose those heifers purely on the basis that they were by Teleporter T243."

Tim Lord, manager of KO Angus, said it was humbling for the stud for their own genetics to be getting exposure in the marketplace instead of other artificial insemination sires.

"What we're trying to breed is curve-bending cattle, cattle that are below breed average for birthweight and in the top 20pc of the breed for growth," he said.

"I think that's where the premium was for the guys that were chasing those heifer bulls."

The sale was conducted by Elders Gundagai, with Ryan Bajada and Harry Waters as auctioneers.

AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.