Southern NSW Angus stud defies the season, selling 217 bulls at auction

With a sale season that had some mixed forecasts on results, one southern NSW Angus stud has continued to defy the odds, going beyond expectations.

The Corrigan family, Rennylea Angus, Culcairn, sold a total of 217 of 219 bulls, Thursday, August 28, for a top price of $55,000 for an average of $15,523.

The sale kicked off strong with one of the first bulls, Rennylea U1080, selling for the top price, being purchased by repeat buyers Glen Colins Pastoral, Walcha.

The 24-month-old bull sired by one of the program's homebred bulls, Rennylea S902, was used within the last spring joining at the stud as a yearling.

Weighing 822 kilograms, the young sire measures a scrotal circumference of 40 centimetres.

Regarded as a bull suitable for heifers in the catalogue with a birthweight estimated breeding value of +2.6, he ranked in the top five per cent of the breed with a days to calving figure of -7.7.

Continuing on the high percentile values, he ranked in the top 4pc with an eye muscle area figure of +13.3 and a rump fat figure of +3.3.

He also placed in the top 1pc of the breed's $indexes with figures of $296 for his Angus Breeding Index and $472 for his Angus Breeding Low Feed Cost Index.

Purchasers Richard Young and Ed Churchill, Glen Colin Pastoral, Walcha, were no strangers when buying some of the higher-priced bulls in the southern studs sale after securing the second top-price bull in the operation's 2024 spring sale, Rennylea T406, for $45,000.

Mr Young said the operation breeds approximately 30 of their own bulls each year from their 100-head nucleus herd, which will then be used to join their 2000 commercial breeders.

"We wanted a bull with EBVs that have good carcase traits, but also good structure, feet," he said.

"We're hoping to get our herd up to 2500 within the next couple of years, that's why we want to try and get as good genetics as we can."

Originally based on New England-based Angus bloodlines, the operation retains the heifers as breeders while taking the steers out to feeder weights with the aim to turn them off around 470-480kg.

The second top-priced bull Rennylea U950 was also secured by repeat purchasers, Consolidated Pastoral Company, Bioela, Qld, for $54,000.

Also used throughout the herd in the spring joining as a yearling and by Rennylea R1169, U950 weighed 824kg, with a 40cm scrotal circumference.

He displayed high growth trait values in his 200-day, 400-day and 600-day weight EBVs with +64, +114, +156, respectively, ranking him in the top 8pc, while also being in the top 4pc for his milk figure of +27.

The high ranking values flowed into his calving data, with a calving ease daughters value of +9.7, placing him in the top 2pc and his days to calving figure of -7.6 ranking in the 6pc along with an EMA figure of +10.9, placing him to 10pc.

He also ranked in the top 1pc for his $indexes.

Yearling bulls were also in demand with Yalgoo Pastoral Company, Walcha, taking home Rennylea V1164 for $52,000.

The 13-month-old Rennylea R946 son, measured a 36cm scrotal circumference and tipped the scales at 578kg, while ranking in the top 1pc for his EMA figure of +15.3.

He also ranked in the top 9pc for his birthweight figure of +1.4, along with being in the top 2pc for his calving ease daughters figure of +9.8, and in the top 11pc for his calving ease direct with a figure of +7.5.

The young sire also ranked in the top 6pc for his intramuscular fat figure of +5, along with being in the top 4pc for his milk figure of +27, while being in the top 10pc for docility with a value of =34 and in the top 13pc for his carcase weight and retail beef yield values of +84 and +1.1, respectively.

Bulls sold into four states with several volume buyers active in the sale, including Mannis Ag Pty Ltd, Greg Greg, who took home 11 bulls for a top of $36,000 for and an average of $19,272, while Amaroo Farms Pty Ltd, Mathoura, secured eight bulls for a top of $20,000 to average $15,750.

Repeat purchasers Shadowgrove Pty Ltd, Khancoban, purchased five bulls for a top of $18,000 to average $12,400.

Rennylea Angus stud co-principal Ruth Corrigan said the result was outstanding, being far above expectations given the seasonal conditions.

"We're quite humbled by the support," she said.

"There was a really good local support... we're getting more bulls going to Queensland than we did five to 10 years ago."

The sale was conducted by Nutrien Ag Solutions Holbrook, with Andrew Wishart and Peter Godbolt as auctioneers.

AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.