First-time buyer snaps up one of three top-priced bulls at Paringa sale

Buyers from as far away as Alice Springs were battling it out for red sires on Thursday, with Paringa Livestock's bull sale hitting a top of $7000 three times.

At the online Red Angus and Stabilizer sale, the Clarkes Hill stud sold 21 of the 25 bulls offered for an average price of $6250.

This was the second all-red sale held by Paringa, after many years of breeding Red Angus and composite cattle, which were previously offered alongside its Angus bulls.

The online sale grossed $131,000, with new and returning buyers from western Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and even the Northern Territory bidding on the grass-fed bulls.

Paringa Livestock stud principal Tom Lawson said the established client from the NT had bought from the stud for the best part of 20 years.

That client is Umbearra Station, and the McKay family bought one of the $7000 top-priced bulls, Paringa Red Stabilizer V674.

The 22-month-old sire-prospect, out of Meadow Creek R800 and by Kurra-Wirra Sonic S50, had an eye muscle area (EMA) of +5.5 square centimetres, a carcase weight (CWT) of +57 kilograms and docility of 11 per cent.

Mr Lawson said the bull was a "cool customer".

"He's super docile, you can pat him," he said.

"There's about five or six breeds in the composition of that bull.

"He's a good-footed, long-statured, more traditional type of bull."

It was Gus McCormack's first time buying at Paringa, but that didn't stop him from buying one of the top-priced bulls.

Mr McCormack runs Droughtmaster cattle and a commercial composite herd at Glenmorgan, Qld, and was glad to come away from the sale with Paringa Red Stabilizer W4.

"I talked to a mate in central Queensland who had had good results," he said.

"We've been tipping British composite genetics into our herd to spice up the composite herd.

"We were looking for blokes who were a bit progressive and had good data.

"The female side was what attracted us to Tom's herd."

Mr McCormack said he was looking for a specific kind of sire for his herd, and these bulls would be joined with Droughtmaster cows to breed bulls to serve their commercial herd.

"We went down there and had a look at him," he said.

"We liked the stretch, structure and the overall balance of the bull.

"We want to breed bulls to go back into our commercial herd, so we were looking for something with a bit of sire appeal and also good data."

Again a son of Kurra-Wirra Sonic S50 and out of Paringa Red Stabilizer S24, the yearling sire-prospect has an EMA of +6.3sqcm, a CWT of +63kg and a gestation length of -2.2.

Mr Lawson said the bull was a fantastic all-rounder.

"He's got good breed make-up and balance of data, and he's a really good-looking bull," he said.

"Stabilizer bulls have more visual muscle, which people like."

Mr McCormack also bought another bull for $6000, Paringa Red Sonic W3.

"We liked the depth and softness of that fella, and he had good do-ability," he said.

Yearling Red Angus bull, Paringa Red Sonic W2, was another to hit the top dollar, snapped up by Crossover producer Chris Gregory.

Also a son of Kurra-Wirra Sonic S50, Mr Lawson was impressed by the longevity of his dam, Paringa Mountaneer T21.

"His mother has had nine calves in a row," he said.

"He is a really good-footed, strong Angus breed type and good data."

That data included an EMA of 13.7sqcm, intramuscular fat of 3.1pc and a CWT of +56kg.

Mr Lawson said clients were liking what the Stabilizer bulls were offering.

"They really like the composite Stabilizer bulls - they are looking for longevity, resilience, good calving ease, good structure and carcase," he said.

Mr Lawson worked in feedlots in the US, and that was where he fell in love with the Stabilizer.

"I could see the crossbred cattle doing better, having less sick days and being quicker to the market," he said.

"Plus more kilograms to the hectare is key."

He said he was happy with how the sale went, but felt the uncertainty around the geopolitical climate with fuel prices and supply may have affected the sale.

"Despite this, we were pleased to see our bulls heading to repeat clients, and progressive herds around the country," he said.