Charolais and Simmental share top spot at Ray White Barcaldine Bull Sale
A Charolais and a Simmental shared equal top-price honours at the third annual Ray White Barcaldine Bull Sale on Friday, September 26 at the Barcaldine Saleyards.
The number of bulls offered this year was double last year, with 135 bulls entering the ring and 124 sold.
Following final negotiations, the sale grossed $1,078,660, giving an average of $8700 and a clearance rate of 92 per cent.
Equal top price honours went to a red Simmental bull, Savannah U018.
He was sold by Vaughan Campagnolo and Sarah Truran of Savannah Simmentals and Simbrahs, Myponga, SA for $23,000 to Neil and Karen Gibson of Boompa near Biggenden.
Mr Gibson said he was the bull they had been looking for over the last two seasons.
"We finally found the bull we've been looking for, and we want to put him to some stud cows to breed replacement bulls for ourselves to go over our Droughtie cows instead of buying bulls that are overfed on grain all the time, and they will already be acclimatised to our country," Mr Gibson said.
"As far as I'm concerned, he's got the best red Simmental genetics we can source in the country. Beautiful phenotype, phenomenal depth, very balanced - just put together right."
The Gibsons run a Droughtmaster-based breeder herd of 350 head over 2500 hectares.
"We are going to keep putting Droughtmaster bulls over the tops of our cows, keeping our Droughtie base, and we plan to put these Simmental bulls over the tail end of our cows, and we will turn them all off as terminal sires," he said.
The 23-month-old bull, sired by WS Epic E152 and out of GK 54 Razzle Dazzle P8, was a double-polled bull.
He tipped the scales at 896 kilograms, 142 square centimetres in the eye muscle area, had a scrotal circumference of 44.5 centimetres and 5.5 per cent intramuscular fat.
The other equal top-priced bull was a Charolais bull, Belbourie Park Downtown U360E.
He was sold by Sam O'Donnell and Lynton Harrison of Belbourie Park Charolais, Murrindindi, Vic, for $23,000 to Gladwell Grazing Company.
The 24-month-old bull, sired by Clarinda Downtown Q32 and out of Paringa Kilo Packer N391 Q387, was a double-polled bull.
Ms O'Donnell said he was one of the most easy-doing bulls they had bred.
"A very successful flush with a full sister retained in the herd," she said.
He tipped the scales at 896 kilograms, 136 square centimetres in the EMA, had a scrotal circumference of 50.5 centimetres and 7.1 per cent intramuscular fat.
The second top-priced bull of the day was Summa Uberto U172, sold by Summa Simmentals from Middlemount for $19,000 to Ted Yore from Aramac.
Topping the Simbrah selection of the sale on the day was West Oak Conan 100, sold by James Hayden of West Oak Cattle Co for $10,000 to W and L Schaltz.
Volume buyer on the day was Boonderoo Pastoral Company from Hughenden, with 10 bulls bought to average $6100.
Bill Seeney from Ray White said the sale was very well supported and had plenty of competition.
"Buyers had the opportunity to buy value bulls on their doorstep, people shopped well and bought value bulls. The sale is still in its growing phase, so vendors were happy with the result," he said.
- Selling agents - Ray White, simulcast on Stocklive
