Top-priced bull is one of the first sons by a US sire offered in Australia

Local and interstate buying support drove sharply-improved values at the Bullock Hills Black Simmental Production Sale at Boyanup last week.

The Patterson family's fourth annual sale took on a new look this year, partnering with the Gumnut Downs Angus stud in a new benchmark fixture called the Black Infusion Bull Sale.

The sale also marked a significant milestone for the Patterson family, being its first offering of entirely Black Simmental cattle following the dispersal of its traditional Simmental herd last year.

The family presented an excellent quality catalogue of genomically tested, DNA verified yearling and rising two-year-old homozygous polled Black Simmental bulls, by proven high performing sires and a selection of commercial Black Simmental heifers, vet checked suitable to breed.

The sale attracted a joint register of 45 prospective buyers with stud and commercial interest from the South West and South Coast and across the border, both at the sale or through representation and online.

The sale was interfaced on AuctionsPlus with 2022 online catalogue views seeing 38 registered online buyers and 35 viewers from across the country.

Four active online bidders placed 17 bids across three lots, however only the one bull sold online to an Upper Great Southern buyer.

At the end of the Bullock Hills run, Nutrien Livestock auctioneer, James Culleton, and the Nutrien Livestock and Elders South West selling teams sold 20 of 24 rising two-year-old and yearling Black Simmental bulls (83 per cent) at auction, for a strongly improved average of $8925.

This was up $2475 compared to last year's sale average for Black Simmental bulls where 20 of 25 rising two-year-old and yearling bulls (80 per cent) sold for an average of $6450.

Compared to last year, clearance rates at auction improved with stronger gains across all value indicators.

Six commercial Black Simmental yearling heifers sold in two pens of three head, and sold for $2500 each, up $1025 on average from last year where six heifers averaged $1475.

In the age breakdown of the Black Simmental bulls, nine of 11 rising two-year-old bulls (82pc) sold under the hammer for an average of $8778, up $2278 on average compared to last year where seven of nine bulls (78pc) sold for a $6500 average.

In the line-up of yearling bulls, 11 of 13 bulls (85pc) sold at auction for an average of $9045, jumping $2622 on last year's average of $6423 from 13 of 16 bulls (81pc) sold under the hammer.

Prices ranged from reserve to five figure stud bulls, giving beef producers of all budgets the opportunity to secure quality bulls, while sales on the handful of overlooked bulls continued after the sale, further strengthening results for the Patterson family.

A number of buyers also claimed products from sale sponsors Consolidated Nutrition, Datamars, Zoetis and Virbac.

A rising two-year-old bull in lot three, Bullock Hills Voltage V88, raised the bar early when it sold for $21,000 to Nutrien Livestock Bridgetown agent, Ben Cooper, bidding via phone for the Humphrey family's Huron Park Black Simmental stud, Injune, Queensland.

But it was the third yearling bull offered in lot 15, Bullock Hills Washington W51, that went one bid better, to take the $22,000 top price honours when it was knocked down to prominent South Australian Simmental breeders, Tom and Lizzy Baker, Woonallee Simmental, Black Simmental and SimAngus studs, Millicent.

Washington W51 is among the first crop of sons by US sire LRS Dutton 611K to be offered in Australia, with the Pattersons thinking equally as high of the bull and retaining semen for in herd use.

The February 23, 2025 born AI-bred bull was out of a LRS Ms Eagle 983G daughter, Woonallee S157, purchased by Bullock Hills as a heifer.

The cracking 696kg high indexing young bull recorded colour across its Estimated Performance Data (EPDs) chart, ranking in the top 1pc for carcase weight (CW), top 2-4pc for both API and TI indexes, top 10pc weaning (WW) and yearling weight (YW), ribeye area (REA) and marbling, top 20pc birthweight (BW), milk and fat.

A few lots later and the Bakers paid $10,000 for Bullock Hills Whisky W47, a 678kg bull with a similar pedigree to its new stablemate, also AI-bred by Dutton 611K and out of a LRS Ms Eagle 983G daughter, Bullock Hills R36.

Mr Baker said Washington W51 was an outstanding sire prospect.

"Extremely well made and great set of data and by a bull we haven't used before," Mr Baker said.

"We wanted to access these genetics and thought this was a good way to do it.

"Being out of one of our cows is a great attraction, she has obviously bred well and we still have her grandmother in the herd.

"And we like to support those that support us, the Pattersons are a good family with a good program."

Mr Baker said Whisky W47 was a value buying opportunity to strengthen the Dutton 611K bloodline.

"Bit of a different proposition to the first bull, more of a cow bull but something we can use," he said.

"Both bulls will go into a mob of first calvers and we will see how they go, I thought they were really good types."

The $21,000 second top-priced bull Voltage V88 was a mid-June 2024 born bull AI-bred by OMF Epic E27 and out of a OMF Time Less B100 daughter, Bullock Hills Velvet S97.

The heifer safe marked bull tipped the scales at 836kg and matched lower birthweight (top 35pc) and calving ease (top 30pc) with above average growth and top 15pc REA and top 25pc milk and maternal calving ease (MCE).

The next highest price of $10,500 was paid by sale regulars RH Norman & Son, Boyanup/Lake Muir, for a 690kg mid-March 2025 born yearling bull by a TJ Gold 274G son Bullock Hills Usher U31 with a strong spread of EPD traits and indexes.

A $10,000 price tag was successfully bid on two occasions.

Brompton Family Farm, Denmark, collected two rising 2yo bulls paying to $10,000 for a 854kg early July 2024 born heifer safe bull by Gibbs 9114G Essential with a curve bending dataset with low birthweight and calving ease (top 30pc), high growth (top 4-5pc) and top 2-10pc indexes.

The Bromptons also purchased a pen of commercial heifers.

The Introvigne family, Bonnydale Black Simmental stud, Bridgetown, secured yearling bull Bullock Hills Wellington W30 for $10,000.

The late January 2025 born bull was also a curve-bending heifer safe bull by Gibbs 9114G Essential and out of a Gibbs 7153E Star 3136A daughter with top 10pc BW, top 10-15pc growth, top 2pc milk, top 3pc CW, top 1pc REA, top 10pc fat, top 4pc Ti index and top 15pc API index.

Other multiple bull accounts included PG & BP Italiano, Waroona, who purchased three bulls paying to $8000 for a late June 2024 born TJ Gold 274G son, while Nutrien Livestock Boyup Brook agent Jamie Abbs, representing Wingalup Grazing Company, Boyup Brook, secured the first two bulls of the sale paying to $8000 for a 874kg Bonnydale Broad Range T122 son.

Nutrien Livestock, Mt Barker trainee Reece Thomas, representing Roztine, Gnowangerup, purchased the first pen of heifers to be added on the truck by a 636kg yearling bull by Gibbs 9114G Essential, purchased moments earlier.