Two days drive home to Victoria for top-priced Exton Angus bull: here's why

Seeking an exceptional maternal pedigree, a young Victorian stud pushed the top price to $24,000 at the 2025 Exton Angus bull sale on Friday, August 29.

Alkira Riley, Alkira Angus stud at Leogantha, Vic, purchased Exton Ultra Instinct U383 via AuctionsPlus at the sale.

Tim and Vicki Schmaling's Exton sold 31 out of 37 bulls to an average $8000 at the on-property Helmsmann auction at Haden.with buyers coming from Gladstone to Mitchell and down to Tenterfield in NSW.

Alkira Angus has 50 registered cows and is a half-owner of the sought-after Angus bull Millah Murrah Quartz Q29.

Ms Riley was looking for an outcross bull to go over his heifers.

A former stock agent, she also runs her family's dairy and a small commercial beef herd but the stud is her passion.

"I'm only small at the moment but have sourced very good bloodlines with high quality pedigree and my breeding goals are phenotypically sound, eye appealing bulls with balanced estimated breeding values and a very strong focus on maternal strength," he said.

"I inspected Exton's program earlier and love the maternal lines and the depth of pedigree. This bull is out of an outstanding cow and will fit my program well and was worth bringing all that way home."

Ultra Instinct's dam is QNNL40 Exton Celeste L40, a 10-year-old cow with exceptional longevity. At 860 kilograms, he was the heaviest bull in the sale and had the largest eye muscle area of 130 square centimetres, plus scanned 7.5 intramuscular fat.

The second top-price bull, at $16,000, was Exton Unite U362, purchased by commercial producer Ben Smart, Upper Pinelands.

"We chase low birth weight and we like good 200 day growth figures and he had that plus plenty of depth," Mr Smart said.

Mr Schmaling said Exton's focus on breeding for maternal performance and functionality, with profitability over the long term in mind, had been well rewarded at this year's sale.

This year's result compares to the 2024 selling of 25 from 30 bulls to a top of $16,000 and average $7250.

Mr Schmaling said the support from local producers, return clients, plus the addition of several new buyers, was pleasing.

• Agents: Gilliland Livestock Marketing, Dalby.