Strong prices and spirited competition reflect the quality of yearling line-up

Despite missing a couple of regular volume buyers which influenced the overall clearance, prices were still strong at last week's Liberty Charolais and Shorthorn annual on-property yearling bull sale at Culham Farm, Toodyay.

The Yost family presented a top-quality offering of well-bred Charolais and Shorthorn yearling bulls which were backed by good performance figures and as a result, buyers weren't afraid to bid up, pushing prices to $18,000 for a Charolais bull and $16,000 for a Shorthorn sire.

While there were some regular buyers absent, there was still good support from other regular buyers, from not only the local area, but also from the South West and Mid West, who bid up on the bulls, ensuring strong prices for the stud.

It wasn't only WA buyers who were keen - there was buying interest from New South Wales on AuctionsPlus where the catalogue received 3056 views and 43 logins.

Five active bidders on AuctionsPlus placed 33 bids across 12 lots, resulting in seven lots selling to the five bidders.

The Elders selling team, led by auctioneer Nathan King, sold 30 of 45 bulls (67 per cent) at auction for an average of $6883, which was up $1040 on last year.

Broken down, the Yost family sold 21 Charolais bulls from 32 offered to the $18,000 sale top price and an average of $6905, which was up $1055, while nine from 13 Shorthorn bulls were cleared to a top of $16,000 and an average of $6833, which was up $1006.

Last year, overall 53 bulls (36 Charolais and 17 Shorthorns) were offered and 43 (30 Charolais and 13 Shorthorns) sold under the hammer for an overall average of $5843, with the Charolais averaging $5850 and the Shorthorns $5827.

Mr King said the Yost family put up a fantastic line-up of bulls, but unfortunately the sale was missing a couple of volume buyers compared to previous years.

"Prices were stronger overall compared to last year and the competition was excellent on the top bulls," Mr King said.

"The clearance was back however but this certainly wasn't a reflection of the bulls on offer.

"I would have to agree with the Yost family, the line-up of bulls on offer was exceptional across both breeds and one of the best they have put up for auction.

"The reason the clearance was back was a result of a couple of regular volume buyers not purchasing this year, as they didn't need bulls, but by all indications they will be back in the future."

Charolais

After paying the $12,000 second top Charolais bull price for Liberty Wizard Of Oz W48 in lot three, Trevor Kanny, Bonegilla Grazing, Walkaway, raised the bar on his next selection in lot six, Liberty Warr Acres W75, outbidding fellow northern Wheatbelt competition on AuctionsPlus to secure its services for the $18,000 top price.

The classy red factor homozygous polled youngster was the first son offered by new stud sire Liberty Unlikely Hero U106 (by Palgrove Poundmaker P2046) and out of a LT Venture 3198 daughter, Liberty Tahoe T46.

The late March 2025 born bull scanned 7mm fats, 111cm2 eye muscle area (EMA) 5.2pc intramuscular fat (IMF) and 35cm scrotal (SC), but it was its dataset that complemented its structural package, combining calving ease, growth, carcase and fat traits.

The extremely high indexing, lower birthweight (top 35pc) bull ranked in the top 20pc for calving ease direct (CEDir), top 1pc 400-day weight (DW), top 7pc 600-DW, top 10pc 200-DW, top 1pc carcase weight (CW), top 7pc EMA, positive fats in the top 15pc, top 20pc IMF and top 1-2pc for both domestic terminal ($DTI) and northern market ($NMI) indexes.

The Kanny family is calving 250 Angus and Santa Gertrudis-Angus breeders from March to May.

Santa Gertrudis sires are used over their Angus heifers from their self-replacing Angus herd, while Charolais bulls are used as terminal sires over retained Santa Gertrudis cross females.

All Charolais sired calves are weaned into their own feedlot after Christmas and fed for 100 days before being turned off for the domestic trade around 540-550kg.

Bonegilla Grazing has been sourcing Charolais bulls from the Yosts for more than 20 years and Mr Kanny said the Liberty bulls were early maturing and perform very well for them.

"Both bulls had very nice conformation and figures were magnificent, particularly the lot six bull," Mr Kanny said.

The Kanny's first purchase was a mid-March 2025 born AI-bred red factor bull and the only son of Palgrove Nullabor N642.

Out of a Liberty Panchali P76 daughter, the polled, high-indexing bull also recorded outstanding performance data ranking in the top 1pc for all weight intervals, top 2pc for both indexes, top 5pc CW, top 20pc gestation length (GL) and positive fats.

It tipped the scales at 624kg and scanned 7mm fats, 110cm2 EMA, 4.2pc IMF and 36cm SC.

The next highest value of $10,000 for Charolais bulls was paid twice by a return Mingenew buyer operating on AuctionsPlus.

Their first selection in lot two was a late March 2025 born bull by Palgrove Poundmaker P2046.

The 646kg red factor double polled bull scanned 9mm and 8mm for P8 and rib fats respectively, 122cm2 EMA, 5.3pc IMF and 39cm SC, while for a below average birthweight bull it recorded a strong spread of growth and carcase data.

It ranked in the top 15pc for CEDir, top 15pc 400-DW, top 3pc milk, top 15pc CW, top 20pc EMA, top 15pc IMF and top 5pc $DTI index.

Their next purchase wasn't until deep into the catalogue in lot 24 containing a polled red factor son of Unlikely Hero U106.

The younger 590kg early May 2025 born bull scanned 7mm fats, 117cm2 EMA, 5.2pc IMF and 36cm SC and like its top-priced half brother, recorded explosive growth and carcase data.

It ranked top 1-4pc for all weight intervals, top 5pc milk, top 1pc CW and $DTI index and top 6pc $NTI index.

Leno Vigolo, Nutrien Livestock, Midlands and Wheatbelt, representing return buyer PG & PM Nankivell & Sons, Wubin, paid the next highest price of $9500 for a deep, red-coated double polled bull in lot 31.

The 544kg early April 2025 born bull was sired by Liberty Under Fire U44 with raw data of 10mm P8 fat, 8mm rib fat, 113cm2 EMA, 5.6pc IMF and 35cm SC.

The high-indexing bull also recorded striking growth and carcase performance ranking in the top top 3-4pc for 400 and 600-DW, top 4pc mature cow weight (MCW), top 1pc CW, top 2pc milk and top 3pc for both indexes.

Volume buyers with three bulls to their account were return fourth year South Tammin buyers, Keith and April Swann, KW & AJ Swann.

The Swanns operated at value to secure sons of Kooyong Solid Gold S25, LT Governor 1560 and Quicksilver Trigger T20.

The bulls will join the family's sire battery which is joined to 300 ex-pastoral cows, which are mainly Santa Gertrudis and Brahman types for a May/June calving.

The Swanns background their calves before selling them to a feeldot.

Other multiple Charolais bull accounts with two bulls each at value were an east Geraldton buyer on AuctionsPlus, AG Bain, Walkaway and JB Agri Services, Mindarra (via Gingin).

Shorthorn

There was good competition through the offering of Shorthorn bulls as buyers chased the well put-together, young sires.

Topping the offering at $16,000 was the third Shorthorn bull offered, Liberty Woodstock W22, in lot 37, when it was knocked down to second year buyer Bryce Freind, RJ & BR Freind, Unicup, who also purchased the top-priced Shorthorn bull last year.

The well-balanced, 618kg, mid March 2025-drop, homozygous polled bull is by Liberty Quarterback Q21 and out of Liberty Paperdoll P2, which is a daughter of The Grove Gigabytes J0837.

Not only did the dark-coated Woodstock W22 display good length of body, muscle expression and softness, it also has a good set of Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs), ranking highly for a number of traits.

It ranks in the top 2pc for rib eye area (REA) and yield grade (YG) with figures of 0.73 and -0.49 respectively, top 10pc for weaning weight (WW) with a figure of 64.0 and top 15pc for yearling weight (YW) with a figure of 91.3.

It is also in the top 20pc for maternal weaning weight (MWWT) and top 25pc for carcase weight (CWT).

Woodstock W22 also had raw scans of 9mm P8 fat, 8mm rib fat, 120cm2 EMA and 6.5pc IMF when scanned on April 10.

Mr Freind said Woodstock W22 displayed good length of body, a good temperament and had a good weaning weight figure.

"We were really after his bloodline, in particular its sire," Mr Freind said.

"We actually purchased this bull's full brother (Liberty Virginia V43) last year at the top price.

"I wanted a bull by Liberty Quarterback and picked this one out, and then a few days later I realised he had the same mother as the bull we purchased last year.

"They are both very similar bulls and we have been very happy with the way last year's bull has grown out.

"He calves are also starting to hit the ground and they also look good, so we were pretty keen to been able to secure this bull.

"At this stage we will use Woodstock W2 over second and third calvers to breed replacement females."

The Freind family has been running Shorthorns for more than 15 years and currently has about 240 puerbred Shorthorn breeders, of which about 150 are mated to Shorthorn sires while the rest are joined to Tara Limousin bulls.

Mr Freind said currently they do a seven-week joining with their heifers calving at the end of February and into March and the cows in April, but with be changing to a six week joining this season.

"We are tightening up our joining so hopefully the calves will be more uniform in size and weight when it comes to marketing," he said.

"We market our calves direct in November/December.

"Our lighter calves go to backgrounders in November and the heavier ones to feedlots in November/December."

The second top price in the Shorthorn offering was $10,500 and it was paid by AJ Hare & DJ Walker, Bindoon, the losing bidders on the top-priced bull.

At $10,500 the Bindoon-based enterprise secured the 540kg, homozygous polled Liberty Western Star W2 from lot 39.

Western Star W2 is by Outback Sprys Solar R269 and out of a Sprys Goldenrod P39 daughter, Liberty Santa Fe S6.

The upstanding young sires ranks in the top 2pc for calving ease (CE) and birthweight (BW), top 10pc for maternal calving ease (MCE) and top 20pc for docility (DOC), YG and the All Purpose Index (API$).

Western Star W2 also had raw scans of 8mm for P8 and rib fat, 116cm2 EMA and 4.7pc IMF.

First time buyer Terri Shanhun, Terikye Limousins, Manypeaks, was the only multiple buyer of Shorthorn bulls, when she secured two sires both at $5000, buying with the support of Elders, Albany representative, Paul Gorman.

Headed to the Manypeaks property at $5000 to be joined to Limousin cows in the enterprise's 60-head commercial herd, were Liberty Wagon Wheel W43 and Liberty Watchman W36.

Ms Shanhun said they were looking for bulls with good fats and marbling and both these bulls had that.

Both bulls are by Eloora Mustang T20 with Wagon Wheel W43 ranking top 20pc for fat and marbling and Watchman W36 in the top 5pc for fat.

When it came to their raw scans, Wagon Wheel W43 had scans of 9mm for P8 fat and 8mm for rib fat, along with IMF of 5.7pc, while Watchman W36 scanned at 8mm for both P8 and rib fat and 5.3pc for IMF.

The five other Shorthorn bulls to sell were all knocked down at $5000 to five different buyers.