Clearance rate drops but average price holds firm at Longreach bull sale

Raf and Nic Job, Royalla Shorthorn stud, who sold the top priced bull at the Outback Invitational sale, and Elders stud stock representative Andrew Meara, with a selection of the bulls offered at the sale. Picture by Sally Gall.

Despite 22 more bulls being offered than last year and an unavoidable delay of a month, the Elders Outback Invitational bull sale at Longreach on April 15 posted a higher top price than the equivalent sale last year, and a slightly higher average price as well.

The sale had been set down for March 18 but with Thomson River floodwaters creeping close to the WQLX selling centre on the western side of Longreach, the sale was postponed for a month.

While there were not a lot of buyers attending Wednesday's sale in person, agents held a number of bids and there was sporadic bidding via StockLive.

It resulted in an 'up and down' outcome, with no bids recorded in between some of the sale's top prices in the catalogue.

The top price of $16,000 was reached twice, for Royalla Shorthorn stud bulls, compared to a top price of $13,000 being outlaid four times in 2025.

Last year's overall average was $7591 for 77 bulls, from 88 offered, or a clearance of 88 per cent.

This year the overall average was $7936 for 79 bulls sold of the 110 offered, which equated to a clearance rate of 72pc.

Nine studs, representing eight different breeds or composites, were present on Wednesday, and Elders stud stock representative Andrew Meara said it was clear that buyers were most keen for the local Santa Gertrudis bulls, along with the Euro bulls on offer, and the Simbrah bulls catalogued.

The sale at WQLX at Longreach was simulcast via StockLive. Picture by Sally Gall.

The Job family presented 19 Shorthorn bulls from their base at Yeoval in NSW, two of them topping $16,000, one of them to Alpha's Appleton Cattle Co, and one to Keough Wirth & Pedley, based at Longreach.

The first, Royalla Daniel V084, 24 months, weighed 796kg, had P8 and rib fat measurements of 16 and 11 millimetres respectively, an eye muscle area of 118 square centimetres, intramuscular fat of 7.7pc, and a scrotal circumference of 38mm.

The other top priced bull, Royalla Disraeli V115, was sired by Royalla Ventura P158, the interbreed champion bull at Beef 21 at Rockhampton.

Also 24 months and weighing 760kg, he had P8 and rib fat measurements of 14 and 11mm, an EMA of 116sq cm, IMF of 7.2pc, and a scrotal circumference of 35cm.

Both buyers are repeat Royalla customers and Mr Job said it was proof they were getting cattle to suit the environment.

"Shorthorns fatten off grass and that's what people here are after," he said. "It would have been good to have a little more competition for them."

The second-last bull in the catalogue, Moongool MR V402, a Simbrah bull, brought the sale's second top price when he was knocked down to the Riverview Cattle Co at Clermont for $14,000.

The bull was a supplementary addition, and vendor Ivan Price said he'd earmarked him for use himself but was a substitution when another bull was injured just before the sale.

"He looks like a bull, he's sound-footed and fertile - he ticked a lot of boxes," he said.

The two-year-old bull weighed 836kg, had P8 and rib fat measurements of 7 and 5mm, an EMA of 126sq cm, and a scrotal circumference of 20.5cm.

Moongool sold 11 of its 16 Simbrah bulls for an average of $9363, and recorded an average price of $6000 for five of eight Angus-Charolais-Senepol bulls offered, and Mr Price said a bull sale late in the season could be a challenge.

"It's been a good season in the area but a lot of bulls have been sold in Queensland for the season," he said. "The quality of the animals was good overall but they lacked some buyer support."

One vendor that didn't lack for support was the local Santa Gertrudis stud, Bendalla, and vendor Bevan Pearce said they were very pleased with their 100pc clearance and average of $8733, as well as almost half the draft going to return clients.

One of those was the top priced bull, Bendalla V410, sold to online buyer Mark Delahunty at Hughenden for $13,000.

He was sired by Moongana Playboy who has produced a consistent line of bulls for the Pearce family over the last two seasons.

The Appleton Cattle Co was the sale's top buyer, returning to Alpha with 14 bulls, two of them from Stephen Hayward and Kellie Smith's K5X Angus stud at Allora, and the rest from Royalla, paying an average $7428.

Jack Campbell's Clarenden Cattle Co bought seven bulls for country at Aramac and Blackall, a mix of Charolais, Charbray and Simbrah, paying an average $6428.

Andrew Meara said a number of bulls had been sold after the sale concluded.