Beaufort farm holds successful bull sale two months after fire razed property
A Beaufort beef stud has held a successful bull sale two months after bushfire razed through its property.
Francs Angus stud sold 29 of the 30 bulls offered at its helmsman-styled sale, with lots averaging $7760.
The sale achieved a top price of $14,000.
Francs stud co-principal Nick Franc said they were still in the midst of recovery after the Streatham/Carranballac fires hit their farm on January 9.
"It burnt two-thirds of this property - about 160 hectares - and we lost 18 kilometres of fencing, 520 big square bales and 150 sheep," Mr Franc said.
"We have a lot of good, local clients and [the sale] was affordable for them which we like."
The top-priced bull, Lot 2, Francs Angus V106, was bought by Winchelsea-based commercial operation St Omer Angus.
The bull boasted estimated breeding vales including +64 kilograms for 200-day growth, +129kg for 400-day growth and +163kg for 600-day growth.
The bull's docility at +34 is in the top 10 per cent for the breed, and he also has an +8.4 square centimetres eye muscle area and a birth weight of +4.3kg.
The 18-month-old bull was sired by Mandayen Reebok R442 which is a Booragul Angus, Piallaway, NSW, sire that the stud used as part of their artificial insemination (AI) program.
"This year's bulls are sired by industry leading sires, both AI and our own walking bulls," Mr Franc said.
The sale-topper's dam is Koornang Park Francs N59.
The sale eclipsed the previous year's sale by $3500 for the top and $300 for the average.
Six bulls made or surpassed $10,000, including Lot 5, Francs Angus V95, and Lot 6, Francs Angus V107, which both made an equal second top price of $12,000.
TB White & Sons auctioneer Tom Madden said the sale was in line with many of the other autumn bull sales this season.
"The major things people were looking for was either a low birth weight or good 200, 400 and 600-day growth figures," Mr Madden said.
"Those higher-priced bulls all had pretty good figures for both of those things."
He said the sale attracted a solid cohort of buyers with many familiar faces in the crowd.
"Most of the buyers were repeat clients and there were a few new faces and a few returning clients that hadn't bought for a while," he said.
Two bulls were bought off AuctionsPlus to go to a repeat client based at Finley, NSW.
"Generally, the bulls sold into the local area," Mr Madden said.
