Top bull at inaugural Bective Station Wagyu sale purchased by Queensland buyers
Buyers seeking top-quality fullblood Wagyu genetics were out in force at AAM's inaugural Bective Station Wagyu Bull Sale, Tamworth, last Thursday.
The sale achieved a top price of $18,000, a full clearance rate for the catalogue of 40 young sires and an average of $8850.
One of the youngest bulls in the sale, August 2024-drop Bective Station V1096, sold for $18,000 to Chris and Sue Zahl, Wycheproof Station, Emerald, Qld.
Sired by Arubial S1051 and out of an Irongate female, V1096 ranks in the top one per cent for breeder feeder and fullblood terminal indexes, is over three times the breed average on all growth traits and is also in the top 1pc for the carcase weight estimated breeding value (EBV).
The Zahl family also purchased the second top-priced bull for $14,000.
June 2024-drop Bective Station V0693 had the highest marbling scores at the sale.
An impressive son of Arubial S1053, it has a marble score of 3.4 and a breeder feeder index of $556.
The well-rounded Bective Station V0336 was another catalogue highlight, sitting in the top 1pc of the breed for all indexes, while his milk, eye muscle area and marble score EBVs are all in the top 5pc of the breed.
The June 2024-drop sold to Leeton Grazing for $12,000.
The sale marked a historic milestone for AAM and the iconic Bective Station, which it purchased in 2022 and developed into an elite Wagyu seedstock operation.
Bective Station runs 1200 fullblood Wagyu females, including renowned foundation bloodlines from the Morgan family of the Arubial stud, Condamine, Qld.
AAM executive general manager, Nathan Morris, said he was pleased to see a range of buyers participate in the sale, resulting in the 100pc clearance rate.
"It was great to see Bective Station's historic woolshed full of people to witness the inaugural sale, and buyers getting on board with our genetics program, which we have invested heavily in over the past few years," Mr Morris said.
"We had a diverse range of buyers, both in person and also bidding via StockLive, with the top-priced bull bought online by the Zahl family in Emerald.
"As a foundation sale, we are pleased with the results and seeing buyers getting their hands on some of our genetics, and we look forward to building on this in the future."
Volume buyer at the sale was CTK Cattle Co, who purchased four bulls for an average of $8500.
The sale was handled through StockLive, Nutrien Ag Solutions Tamworth, and Elders Gunnedah.
The sale took place in Bective Station's iconic 44-stand shearing shed, first constructed in 1905, which has long stood as a symbol of Bective's agricultural heritage.
"It's great to be combining tradition with innovation, and our first Bective Station Wagyu Bull Sale has ushered in an era for the property and we are excited to see the value these bulls will bring to the successful purchasers," Mr Morris said.
