Online bidders buy up big in Hicks Beef sale with top bulls interstate bound
Bulls were sold as far north as Queensland and as far south as Tasmania at the Hicks Beef spring bull sale held at Holbrook on Wednesday, September 3.
All 82 black composite, red composite and Red Angus bulls were sold to a top of $24,000 and an average of $12,109.
In the breakdown, 48 black composites sold to a top of $21,000 to average $12,333, 22 red composites reached $24,000 to average $11,681, and 12 Red Angus bulls sold to a top of $18,000 and averaged $12,000.
Bulls are bound for NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, with online bidders particularly strong securing, 39 per cent of the catalogue.
The top-priced bull was ABC U754, which sold for $24,000 to AJM Pastoral, Richmond, Queensland.
The two-year-old red composite bull, by HRA R95 and from ABC N695, ranked in the top five per cent for calving ease with a figure of +18.4.
Tom Hicks, Hicks Beef, said he had expected the bull to be a top seller.
"With data like that and then the type I knew he was going to end up in a northern breeding herd," he said.
The top-priced black composite bull was ABC U966, which sold for $21,000 to Spinifex Pastoral Co, Swan Hill, Vic.
The two-year-old bull, by Redhill 672X X004 231A and from ABC N588, ranked in the top 5pc for stayability, docility and marbling with figures of +20.5, +17.8 and +1.12 respectively.
He also ranked in the top 5pc on the All-Purpose Index at $187.1.
Mr Hicks said the bull's dam, ABC N588, had bred very well for them.
"All very consistent and they tick all the boxes with type, quiet and great data to match," he said.
Buyer Darren Jenke, who manages Spinifex Pastoral Co's Lucindale operations in South Australia, said he was a "great all-round bull".
"Figure-wise he was good, really high marbling score, good indexes," he said.
"A good medium bull with a really big, deep carcase with plenty of weight as well."
Spinifex was also a volume buyer, securing a total of three black composites and five red composites for an average of $12,500.
"Mainly looking for heifer bulls with medium frame but still good muscle, depth and growth and good marbling content as well," he said.
Mr Jenke said Spinifex had been buying from Hicks Beef for more than 15 years, and said the black bulls would stay in SA while the red bulls would go to their Queensland operations.
The top-priced Red Angus bull was Hicks Ultra U10 which sold for $18,000 to Kevin and Libby Heggen, Binginwarri, Vic.
The two-year-old bull, by Bieber Blue Chip H302 and from Hicks Patricia S33, ranked in the top 5pc for birthweight with -5.3, marbling with +1.01 and beef fertility at +0.038.
Mr Hicks said the bull was the highest-indexing Red Angus to be sold in Australia with an API of $205.
The bull also ranked in the top 10pc for stayability and docility with figures of +19.1 and +16.5, respectively.
Mr Hicks said it was a very pleasing result with buyers chasing bulls that indexed well and had balanced data matched with type.
The sale was conducted by Elders with Brett Shea and Oliver Mason sharing the rostrum. AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.
