Strong online bids from four states for JB Angus' mature cow dispersal sale
A rising four-year-old daughter of United States sire Sitz Stellar described as having figures "off the charts" topped JB Angus stud's mature age cow dispersal sale at Stewart Range.
All of JB's fit, functional females older than three years of age were catalogued with just the W-drop steers and heifers remaining, as well as V-drop heifers and pregnant recipients.
With the females offered from oldest to youngest it took a while for the sale to fire, with just one of the first six lots, 2017 and 2018-drops, selling.
From there, the sale picked up with a torrent of online bids from SA, Vic, NSW and WA stud and commercial breeders.
Overall, 48 out of the 60 PTIC females offered by stud principal Jock Hislop, topped at $13,000 and averaged a credible $4844.
One of these online bidders was Nanni DiGiorgio, Sterita Park stud, Lucindale, who secured four lots including the lot 43 sale topper, JB Dreamgirl T116.
The 2022 drop was a daughter of Anvil Vitality H207 - one of the stud's top donor cows - and was joined to $70,000 bull Alpine Real Deal R163 for a spring 2026 calving.
"Her numbers are off the charts, her birth to growth spread is just huge with good calving ease and super positive rib and rump fat and intramuscular fat of +3.9," Mr DiGiorgio said.
"The structural data was excellent too - it is pretty hard to go past a cow like that."
Mr DiGiorgio said the three other lots they bought - which were all Sitz Stellar daughters - also had excellent figures but importantly looked the part.
"Phenotype is paramount when you are selecting cows - you have to like what you are looking at," he said.
Sterita Park's four buys averaged $8500.
"Jock is a disciplined breeder and knows his cattle," Mr DiGiorgio said.
Gus Llewellyn and Lydia Sanders, Jillangolo stud, Willalooka, also bought three of the star lots, all with Coonamble prefixes, as foundation females for their black Angus stud.
These proven matrons were bought as heifers from the WA stud in 2020 and included lot 16, the $10,000 second highest price, Coonamble Q352.
The daughter of "cow-maker" Coonamble Hector had been AI joined to Coonamble Show Time to calve in May.
"She will be a great embryo transfer donor prospect with great feet and we really liked her maternal dam," Mr Llewellyn said.
The Llewellyns, who are Red Angus and Simmental breeders, said they decided to diversify into Angus as many of their clients were also looking for black cattle.
There were only nine registered bidders on-site but the majority of the action came online, with 32 lots sold through AuctionsPlus after 125 online bids.
Tiarna Pty Ltd, Springbank, Vic, secured five lots, all at $3500, while SA&GE Smith, Lakala, Lucindale, were successful on six lots for a $4083 average.
Guest auctioneer and Spence Dix & Co director Jono Spence said the sale represented great value on some top quality genetics.
"Jock has stuck to his guns in his breeding and has aligned himself with herds such as Alpine and Coonamble, which both have great reputations," he said.
"There was a big emphasis on positive fat and structure, which is important to the industry."
It was the first time that JB Angus stud had offered any significant number of females since it was first registered in 2013.
Mr Hislop said he was happy to sell three quarters of the females for a "good average". Another three females sold soon after.
"These cows have done well for us so we hope they do well for the people that have bought them, I think there is good value in them," he said.
He said the sale was a "reset", but he was committed to continuing the JB stud with a particularly exciting group of W-drop (2025-drop) bulls and heifers.
"We are just downsizing a bit and keeping it manageable," he said.
PPHS Naracoorte conducted the sale.
