Billaglen Angus expand offering, as online buyers swoop for Braidwood sale
Resilient, high-growth, and easy-calving cattle were on the shopping list for repeat buyers at the Billaglen Angus sale on Friday, September 12.
Billaglen Universe U03 sold for $6500 to an online bidder, by Millah Murrah Rockerman R38 and from Gillaglen Kate K8. The bull was recorded in the top 10 per cent for calving ease at +8.8 estimated breeding value (EBV) with a gestation length of -7.9.
Buyers from Taralga, Braidwood and the Southern Tablelands made the most of the nearly doubled offering from the stud in their fifth on-property sale, and stud principal Ian Cargill said the desire for key traits showed.
"We find that a lot of buyers are interested in low birth weight bulls," he said.
"About half the catalogue had a below-average birth weight, with eight in the top 25 per cent."
Millah Murrah and Moogenilla bloodlines were in demand, and Mr Cargill said buyers travelled to see the performance of international Stern Angus genetics within the herd.
"At the end of the day, we're all breeding beef, we don't only see ourselves as a seedstock producer, we're beef producers," he said.
Landtasia Organic Farms manager Martin Teece said previous bulls had proven themselves in the paddock across the organic farming enterprise.
"We've purchased bulls for the last four sales ... I look for the traits we need, calving ease is one of the main things," he said.
"We sell out heavier bulls, so I look for that 400-day [weight] on the bulls we purchase, and we've been getting good results at sales at Wagga."
Landtasia secured Billaglen Ultracool U02 for $5500, by Moogenilla Quinella Q33 and from Billaglen Wilcoola L2, with 400 day growth and carcase weight in the top 25pc EBV at +102 and +80, respectively.
Easy calving was also front of mind for Julie O'Connell, who purchased two bulls, Billaglen Universe U10 and Billaglen Unmatched U63, on behalf of O'Connell and Co., Braidwood for $5500 each.
"Last year was the first year I purchased Billaglen bulls and they performed quite well, being local," she said.
"The mobs I put the bulls over last year for their second calving, they all calved easily. I specifically wanted something that I would get low birth weights on. I'm not after big bulls any more, big bulls break down."
Another son of Millah Murrah Rocketman R38, from Billaglen Prue L12, Billaglen Universe U10 recorded in the top 20pc for calving ease at +6.2.
Billaglen Unmatched U63, by Texas Quantum Leap Q029 and from Billaglen Roses Q06, was described by the vendor as the natural calf of one of the stud's most reliable cows, and recorded an eye muscle area in the top 25pc at +8.7, with a rib yield of +1.3
The two bulls will be headed to the paddock as workers, with the simple job of producing a calf for the O'Connells following a challenging, and wet, winter.
At the fall of the hammer, 12 of 31 bulls sold to an average $5583, with additional bulls sold shortly after the sale and into the weekend.
The sale was facilitated by Schute Bell Badgery Lumby Livestock with auctioneer Anthony Atkinson, and interfaced with AuctionsPlus.
