Timely northern rain brought buyer confidence to Goolagong's Mid North sale

Strong confidence from buyers in the northern pastoral areas gave Goolagong's Mid North bull sale, Warnertown, a boost on Friday.

Timely rain in the north brought a number of good pastoral orders, as well as southern support including Kangaroo Island and the South East, which saw a near full clearance achieved.

Of the 111 bulls offered, including Angus and Sangus (Santa Gertrudis- Angus), 108 sold to a top of $13,000 and averaged $7080.

The top bull, Lot 14 Goolagong Special V423, sold to Jason Barns of Gidgealpa Station, 100km west of Innamincka.

Sired by Goolagong 38 Special T110, the 19-month-old bull had EBVs of +3.1 for bodyweight, +55 for 200-day weight, +107 for 400-day WT, +142 for 600-day WT, eye muscle area of 11.4 and +1 for intramuscular fat.

It was lot 14's birth weight figures which piqued the attention of Mr Barns who purchased this bull to run alongside a draft of 300 heifers at the station.

Mr Barns, a repeat Goolagong client of about 10 years, said he "was a perfect little heifer bull" and they've purchased another 10 bulls following his bloodlines.

"We just want to improve our females and cattle going forward," Mr Barns said.

"The bulls do well up there (at Gidgealpa), the conditions here (at Warnertown) are similar to home.

"They have the heat, they get prepared when it's hot and that acclimatises them a bit for our hot conditions."

Mr Barns bought 22 bulls for a $7454 average.

There were four main northern bidders on the day with volume buyers including Barns Pastoral Co, Williams Cattle Co took 30 to an average of $6316, Saltbush Ag took 17 to an average of $7588 and Old Canowie Cattle Co took 20 to an average of $6650.

Old Canowie Cattle Co's Chris Broad said he liked to support local and Goolagong's genetics worked for his breeding program.

"He (Heath) puts a lot of effort into it, the whole family puts a lot of effort into it," Mr Broad said.

"They feed cattle as well, so they know what the end product is meant to be and that's what it's all about."

Mr Broad said the bulls would make their way to the top of the Simpson Desert where Jervois Station had recently received 100 millimetres of rain and they were expecting a good season.

"It's a good germinating rain and a short growth, which will get you through half the year, a second rain gets you enough bulk to then carry you through a full year," he said.

"Hopefully we get the one that locks it in for us."

The Broad family have purchased from the Tillers for about 10 years and took majority Angus with a couple of Sangus as well.

Goolagong principal Heath Tiller said he was "over the moon" with the result and pleased to see a number of repeat clients return.

"I love breeding bulls and breeding bulls to go to the bush as well," Mr Tiller said.

"You have to have them with a bit of leg under them, not too small.

"That's number one, that each time they come back and go out and do the job for them and return on musters."

Mr Tiller also said they will continue to artificially inseminate about 16 Angus cows with Santa Gertrudis semen - to produce Sangus - to present a lineup next year.

Nutrien conducted the sale, which was interfaced with AuctionsPlus, with Gordon Wood and Richard Miller the auctioneers.

Mr Wood said good breeding and data sets on these bulls had them "very much ready to go out and work".

He said this sale was was up there as one of the three top offerings of Angus bulls in SA - held in the north and almost entirely supported by the north.

With 30 additional bulls offered compared to last year's sale, Mr Miller said the timely rain in the pastoral country "really underpinned" the sale.

"The buying gallery just kept lapping them up, so that was pleasing," Mr Miller said.

"I thought the bulls presented really, really well over a large run of cattle...top of the drop, genetics and figures, and people got value for money across all budgets today."