Days' Landlord V165 finds top home with two NSW Hereford studs
An eye-appealing Poll Hereford bull with an exceptional pedigree and two indexes in the top few percent of the breed stole the show at Days Whiteface and Allendale stud's 28th annual production sale at Bordertown on Monday.
An opening bid of $20,000 signalled to the big crowd that lot 19, Days Landlord V165, was one to watch and two NSW studs, Yavenvale at Adelong and Bendoc Park at Bendoc, stuck it out to pay $50,000 for their new sire.
The May 2024-drop was a son of Tobruk Southern Cross - who is breeding well for Lachy and Lou Day - and out of the Days Whiteface stud's top embryo transfer donor female, Days Fancy N015.
Nutrien stud stock's Tim Woodham inspected and recommended Landlord V165 to the two NSW studs
Yavenvale stud principal James Pearce said the bull had a "phenomenal EBV profile", including 200, 400 and 600 day growth figures in the top 1pc of the breed and an eye muscle area of +8.4- top 2pc.
"I was the losing bidder on Southern Cross so I really liked the sire and she should breed outstanding females because a lot of the sires in that pedigree were exceptional maternally, " he said.
"We have used Debarry Eden heavily, we owned South Bukalong Wallace and we have used Glentrevor Trust so we know how good those cows can be."
Mr Pearce said they would use Landlord for an autumn joining with Bendoc Park having the bull for their spring joining.
Bendoc Park's Lucy Sellers said the maternal strength of the bull appealed along with his carcase traits.
"His mother has been used extensively, she has 44 registered progeny and her mother has 47 so for the Day family to put that much faith in her she must be a pretty good cow to keep flushing her," she said.
In one of the SA sales of the season, Lachy and Lou, and Alastair and Jayne Day, notched up a total clearance of 68 bulls for a $12,912 average.
This was a more than $4000 lift in average compared to 2025's sale. Also, 16 more bulls sold.
Also bound for stud duties was lot 1, Days Pioneer V043, which sold for the sale's equal second highest price of $26,000 to Steve and Debbie Reid, Talbalba stud, Millmerran, Qld,
The Wirruna Steakout S457 son was in the top 1pc for all breed indexes.
Tycolah stud, Cobbadah, NSW, outlaid $24,000 for their pick, lot 15 Days Oregon V202.
The highest priced Allendale bull offered by Alastair and Jayne Day was lot 7, Allendale Ring of Fire V021, which made $18,000.
The bull was one of the Allendale Parker Hogan sons, which had been used over stud cows in 2025.
The Bainger family, Hillcrest Pastoral Co, Avenue Range, were the buyers of this top Allendale bull. They secured five bulls for a $15,600 average, bidding online.
Interest in the Day familes' cattle came from every state in Australia, but it was repeat clients Locky and Paddy Weir, Todd River Pastoral, who underpinned the sale's success.
They bought 20 bulls for a $8850 average.
Mr Weir said they had enjoyed a "once in 25 year rainfall event" with 150 to 250 millimetres in the last 10 days across their stations - Todd River and Allambi, east of Alice Springs and Mount Skinner, about 200kms north east of the town.
"The creek is flooded out so all our fattening country will be as good as it gets and our dams are full that have been dry for two or three years," he said.
Mr Weir said they were looking particularly for bulls with good 600-day weight figures and homozygous polled, with most of their Poll Hereford cattle sold over the hooks to Teys Naracoorte at about 330kg dressed weight.
Other big buyers included Okeview Farms Operation, Scone, NSW, who secured six bulls for a $13,000 average.
Lachy Day said they were "thrilled" with the result and to have 54 registered bidders from such a wide geographic spread.
"To have a total clearance and high average shows great faith in the breed and our program," he said.
"To see some bulls going into tailored crossbreeding programs is really good as well as those bulls going into purebred programs."
Alastair Day said they were pleased to have such strong demand from largely repeat buyers and a few new ones.
"They came through a pretty tough season and were a really even draft of bulls," he said.
Nutrien SA stud stock manager Gordon Wood - who was the auctioneer with Elders' Ross Milne - said the bulls were presented to their genetic potential without being "overdone".
"The Day families are no strangers to presenting cattle in the right order. The cattle phenotypically are really sound and really well balanced cattle with well balanced performance data," he said.
