Triple top price reached for females as Rockhampton Brangus Sale kicks off
Female genetics drew strong competition at the Rockhampton Brangus Sale at CQLX, Gracemere, on Monday, October 13, resulting in a near-total clearance.
By the end of the sale, 34 of 35 registered females changed hands for a 97 per cent clearance, an average of $7235 and gross of $245,999.
Compared to 2024, the sale posted a stronger clearance but a softer top and average.
Three lots shared equal top honours in 2025 at $15,000.
Barronessa America 281 U48, a 25-month-old heifer who was seven weeks in calf, was the first to reach the mark when she was knocked down to Owen Rankine, Lake Eacham.
She was an ET daughter of Barronessa Csonka 281 and by SAV America 8018, the $1.5 million record-priced bull.
Barronessa Abstract 83D U75, a 24-month-old female that scanned 14 weeks in calf, also made $15,000 and sold to Craig and Anna Radel from Tarcoola Brangus, near Biloela.
She was out of Barronessa Aspen 83DQ36 and sired by Vorel Abstract 25E9.
The couple from a newly formed Brangus stud made their presence felt despite initially not intending to buy.
For Mr Radel, it was the fact that she ticked every box that led them to register a bid card for the sale.
"She's got the length, the body and the tidy underneath that we like to see," he said.
"She'll be a good breeder, and we will look at putting her into IVF and ET work down the track."
He said the Barronessa prefix had proven its worth for structural consistency.
"They're breeding the type of females we want to build our herd around," he said.
The third $15,000 lot was Rockyview Urvi, a 22-month-old by Triple B Quicksilver Q320 and from a Mullamuddy Radio Star R14 cow.
She sold to Bill and Sharon Walpol, Sandalwood Brangus and Ultrablacks at Bowen, a new and upcoming stud which was established in 2022.
Mr Walpole said the female had the attributes to make her mark.
"The bone, the depth, the weight for age and the underline made her a standout," he said.
Over the course of the female sale, they secured a total of five lots to add to their growing cow herd for an average of $12,000.
"We only started in 2022, so we were just buying a few heifers and bulls here and there and navigating what bloodlines and phenotypes the market is chasing," he said.
Vendor Jeff Strazzeri of Barronessa, Atherton, said it was rewarding to see demand for the Barronessa program.
"These heifers were bred to combine strong cow families with sires that add market appeal," he said.
"It was pleasing to see them go to buyers who will put them to work in their stud programs."
The commercial female section drew just as much momentum.
A total of 31 pens from 10 vendors were sold to achieve complete clearance.
The section topped at $3100 for Brangus females from the Woodard family, Bonox Brangus, Taroom.
In total, commercial pens averaged $1677.30 a head.
Stud sale vendor averages
(for individual prefixes that sold at least two females under the hammer)
Barronessa - 2/2 average $15,000
Jardine - 6/6 average $5666
Folkslee - 4/4 average $3750
Gunnadoo Park - 3/3 average $7666
Murray View - 4/4 average $9000
Yaraandoo - 3/3 average $7333
Rockyview - 2/2 average $9500
Maccaboyz - 3/4 average $6000
Bonox - 5/5 average $8800
- Agents: Elders, Ray White, GDL, StockLive
