Tarcombe Hereford bull with 'stacked' pedigree flies all the way to $23,000

A Tarcombe Hereford bull sold for a sizzling $23,000 to top the well-known stud's annual production sale on Tuesday.

The bull was picked up by western district commercial client Andrew Harvey, Strathdownie, after also drawing strong stud interest.

Tarcombe Hereford stud co-principal Tim Hayes, Tarcombe and Caveat, said he believed the sale-topper was what the "modern Hereford" should be.

"He's full of meat and he's easy doing," Mr Hayes said.

"I think he'll produce calves that'll suit what southern markets and the industry require."

The top-priced bull, Lot 23, Tarcombe Resolve V049, was one of the heaviest in the catalogue, weighing 808 kilograms.

The March 2024-drop bull was sired by KCF Bennett Resolve G595 and out of Tarcombe Cora R034.

Mr Hayes said the bull's dam was a "good, hard-working cow that put everything into her calf".

He said the bull's pedigree was "stacked" the whole way through.

The sale-topper recorded Hereford Group Breedplan estimated breeding values of +9.7 square centimetres eye muscle area, birth weight of +3.1kg, 200-day weight of +47kg, 400-day weight of +90kg and 600-day weight of +118kg.

The bull also had a carcase weight of +99kg, and intra muscular fat of +2.5 per cent.

Mr Harvey said his new bull's dataset was simply "unbelievable".

He said the bull's phenotype matched his figures, adding that the bull was very "structurally correct".

Mr Harvey also bought Lot 24, Tarcombe Sling Shot V041, for $6000.

It was the third time he'd bought bulls at the stud, with another five Tarcombe bulls at home.

He runs 400 Hereford breeders and said the stud's program suited his operation perfectly.

"I can take these bulls home and they won't fall apart," he said.

"They're all very functional bulls."

Overall, the stud sold 19 of the 38 bulls it offered for an average of $8000.

Mr Hayes said the sale result was "solid", with clearance always going to be a challenge.

Rodwells auctioneer Mick Curtis said the sale enjoyed strong local support, with a few bulls also going to Gippsland and South Australia.

Mr Curtis said with the value of cull bulls now at record levels, the sale offered a good opportunity for producers to buy in some new genetics.

Tarcombe also sold 17 pregnancy-tested-in-calf heifers at the sale out of 18 offered for an average of $3294 and to a top of $4600.

The Hayes family was badly hit by bushfire in January, with nearly 100pc of their property burnt out.

Mr Hayes said he lost 650 sheep and four heifers, with more than 80 kilometres of fencing damaged.

Most of the stud's cattle were sent away on agistment but he had recently brought his heifers home to calve, and given recent rain, they now had plenty of feed.

"I can't believe how quick it's come," he said.

"It's been a God send."

Tim's father Rob thanked all of the family's clients, neighbours and friends for their support since the fires.

He said people's generosity had been "absolutely mind blowing" and it would never be forgotten.

"We've been offered that much help, we just can't handle it," he said.