Friends battle it out to pay top dollar for Brahman bull with US bloodlines

An IVF horned bull with imported US bloodlines topped this year's Great Northern Brahman Sale at the Proserpine Showgrounds on Friday, October 24, after a lively bidding war between friends.

The 25-month-old bull, Cambil Orlando 8018, was offered up by Lawson and Sophie Camm, Cambil Brahmans, Whitsundays, and was bought by Tracey Watts, Lornville Brahmans, for $62,500.

The bull was sired by Mr H Pride of Maddox Manso and was out of Cambil Empress 5211.

Weighing 790 kilograms, the milk tooth bull had a scrotal circumference of 41 centimetres, a P8 and rib fat of 11 millimetres and 10mm respectively, an IMF of 4.2 per cent and an eye muscle area of 134 square centimetres. Its motility was 80pc while its morphology was 83pc.

Ms Watts said she wanted Cambil Orlando 8018 after seeing some calves on the ground from Orlando's sire, Pride of Maddox.

"So since this time last year when those calves were born, I've had it in my head that I was going to buy a Pride of Maddox bull and Lawson (Camm) just had the one that I wanted," she said.

"The calves have terrific bodies, plenty of flesh, great natures; they've just got all the attributes that we're looking for in the beef industry.

"And then the other part about this bull is that, I'm a longtime supporter of Lawson and his stud, I've bought many females from Lawson, and semen packages, so I rate his females.

"Every female I've ever bought from Lawson has gone straight home, gone in calf, continued to go in calf every year...I've still got them from six and seven years ago because they never miss a calf."

A third-generation Brahman stud breeder with 1500 acres near Bowen, Ms Watts has 200 cows, of which about 50-60 are stud females, while the rest are high-grade quality commercial grey Brahmans.

"I breed steers and sell them straight off their mothers and then I have a really good heifer market. People buy good replacement heifers from me and then I sell bulls," she said.

"The things I cull very heavily for is fertility, production and temperament."

Ms Watts said she came to the sale to buy Cambil Orlando and was sitting beside Pam and AJ Davison, Viva Brahmans, who also wanted him and were the underbidders.

"We're longtime friends, Pam and I grew up together, and I used to show cattle with Pam's family...and we're still friends, we shook hands and hugged at the end of it and they've now expressed interest in semen from the bull," she said.

Before Cambil Orlando is joined with Ms Watts' stud females, she is sending him straight off to Gener8 Reproductions where she's hoping to get 1000 semen straws from him.

At the sixth annual Great Northern Brahman Sale seven studs - Cambil, Ooline, Vella, Burdekin, Palm Creek, Badilla and Kent Beef - offered 88 red and grey bulls, selling 86 for a clearance of 98pc, a gross of $696,500 and an average of $8099.

On Friday, two studs - Cambil and Ooline - offered 32 females, selling 31 for a gross of $121,000, a clearance of 97pc, an average $3900 and a top of $7500 for Cambil Jewel 8108 to MBR Brahmans, Kingaroy.

A heifer from Ray and Leah Vella, Vella Brahmans, Proserpine, however, which was sold the previous night at the Airlie Beach Hotel at the Heifer and Genetics Sale topped the two-day event overall when it was bought by Gerard and Teresa Henry, Gregory River Brahmans, Gregory River, for $26,000.

All up, this year's Friday gross for bulls and females was $817,500, selling 117 of 120 lots for a clearance of 98pc and an average of $6987.

In 2024, the all up gross for bulls and females sold on the Friday was $776,000 for an average of $6748.

Of the 82 bulls offered, 76 sold for a 93pc clearance with a gross of $580,000, an average of $7632 and a top price of $34,000.

In 2024, 39 of 51 heifers sold for a 76pc clearance, a gross of $196,000, an average of $5026 and a top price of $16,000.

Lawson Camm, Cambil Brahmans, the Whitsundays, said the top-priced bull had a very good pedigree.

"He's by a bull that was an international champion in the United States in Houston that we've imported the semen on, and his mother was a junior champion at Beef Australia (2021) and grand champion at the Brisbane exhibition (2022)," he said.

Mr Camm said he was also a horned bull with horned bulls in this year's sale selling as strong, if not stronger than the poll bulls which was interesting.

He said this was the Great Northern Brahman Sale's sixth year and it was building year after year.

"We've had year-on-year growth and...I think it's getting its place in the industry," he said.

"It's another sale in an area where there aren't many Brahman sales and and it offers people the chance to buy grey bulls, red bulls, grey females and red females - everything's available here."

Bulk buyers Scott and Sophie Jones, Boundary Creek, Bowen, bought seven bulls for an average of $6000 and a top of $8000.

Mr Jones said they were looking for bulls with good structure, bone and length, and good heads.

The Jones have a breeder block at Bowen running 850 cows and a small block at Marlborough for their weaners. All up, they run 1800 head.

"The block I've got is a pretty rough block. Most of my heifers I just put straight out with the breeders, they're comfortable and relaxed with them. I wait until it rains to put the bulls out."

The couple bought eight bulls at last year's sale as first time buyers and came back this year because, they said, the sale offered a good line of bulls.

Mr Jones said he had always had Brahmans because of the way they had adapted to the hard country with a lot of ticks.

"And they'll walk out and they're good to handle. They're good cattle, the Brahmans, you can't beat them," he said.

Vendor Averages: Bulls

Cambil - 17/18 average $11,735

Vella - 30/30 average $7600

Ooline - 20/20 average $6250

Badilla - 3/3 average $14,666

Palm Creek - 4/5 average $6000

Kent Beef - 4/4 average $7000

Burdekin - 8/8 average $8000

Vendor Averages: Females

Ooline - 9/9 average $4555

Cambil - 22/23 average $3727

• Selling agents - GDL, Elders and Stocklive