Three-in-one packages drive bidding at Elrose Brahman sale day one
Three-for-the-price-of-one packages were a huge hit with buyers on the first day of the two-day Elrose Grey Brahmans production sale.
At CQLX Gracemere on Friday, July 17, the sale saw a top price of $18,000 paid by James Salerno, Rose Gum Salerno Pastoral, Beaudesert, for Elrose Sharon 20670.
The IVF female, who was in calf and had an 11-month-old heifer calf at foot, was sired by NCC Justified and was out of Elrose Sharon 14720.
Mr Salerno joked that he bought the horned female because his daughters thought she looked beautiful and had Bambi eyes.
But, more seriously, he said he bought the cow for her bloodlines as she was by a very good bull.
NCC Justified was sold by Brett Nobbs to Rodger Jefferis, Elrose, for $325,000 in 2017, which at the time was a record for an Australian bull.
Mr Salerno, who has been breeding stud cows for the past 10 years, said he did not mind that she had horns because he believed good cattle with horns provided a good foundation for a herd.
He said he had grown up with Brahman cattle as he was originally from the Kimberley where Brahmans were the only cattle that survived over there.
"I'm Brahman through and through," he said.
Mr Salerno's stud has about 100 head and turns off a mix of 50 to 60 cows and bulls a year.
He said he would probably keep the calf at foot as a breeder as she was quite a nice animal.
The three-for-one package was good value, he said.
As well as the top-priced cow, Mr Salerno bought five other pregnant cow and calf sets for an average of $10,083.
On day one, 176 cows and calf units grossed $946,000 to average $5378 for a top of $18,000 while 22 unjoined heifers grossed $78,000 to average $3545 for a top of $10,000. Fifteen stud cows PTIC grossed $47,000 to average $3133 for a top of $4000.
Friday's total gross for 213 lots was $1.072 million for an average of $5031 and a clearance of 83.9 per cent.
Two bulk buyers from Charters Towers - Roland Everingham, Oak Park Station, and Michael Lyons, Wambiana Station, echoed Mr Salerno's view that the three-for-one lots were good value.
Mr Everingham bought 11 lots, mainly three-in-one units, and one joined heifer for an average of $6045.
He said he looked at the estimated breeding values for each female as well as their physical appearance.
"We certainly like a balance between both a good type of cow and ... cows that are above breed average for both indexes and days to calving and scrotal EBV," he said.
"We also had a bit of a preference for polly bull calves today (although) I bought two horned bull calves and the rest were polly bull calves."
The 42,491ha (105,000-acre) home block of Oak Park and another property of 72,843ha (180,000 acres) north of Winton, run 8000 commercial females and 350 registered Brahman stud cows.
"We have a large commercial herd, and we operate the Oak Park Brahman stud, which we use to breed our own bulls and also sell bulls through the Frontier Genetics sale," Mr Everingham said.
"We just look for overall performance (when buying females), so we obviously use the data, look at the data and then just look at the functionality and type of the actual cow - so udders and temperament and overall phenotype."
Mr Everingham said it was a credit to the Jefferis family to stand as many females as they had, which were so consistent.
"It's really a good achievement, a great achievement," he said.
Another member of the Frontier Genetics group, Michael Lyons, said he and his wife, Michelle, had stud cattle, breeding Brahman bulls for fertility, growth and temperament, and ran a mixed herd of 6000 head for the meatworks and live export markets.
"And we've had a real focus on polls for the past 10 years," he said.
A fourth-generation beef producer, Mr Lyons bought 15 of the three-in-one packages on day one for an average of $5466.
"We were looking for a good balance of data, so we wanted fertility and growth and some polls," he said.
"We did buy some horned cows, but they had really good data, and everything we've bought has had a calf every year.
"We want a good look, but we're more focused on performance.
"We want a moderate frame, so we don't want those really big framed cows, nor do we want the small ones - so a moderate frame, easy fleshing cow, but with good legs, can walk well and have a good udder."
With the data, he said they particularly looked at days to calving and mature cow size so they could select a more moderate frame cow.
"We're looking at scrotal size EBVs and also the 600-day growth so the four key traits," he said.
"But then the indexes tend to wrap all of those individual traits into an index, which indicates ... the profitability from that cow, and we're quite focused on that."
A repeat buyer of Elrose genetics, Mr Lyons said his day one purchases would go into their herd with homozygous and heterozygous poll bulls
He said the quality of the cattle at the Elrose sale was wonderful and the preg test rate of 91pc was amazing.
Vendor Rodger Jefferis, Elrose Brahmans, Brigalow, Theodore, said day one of the sale was great for the cows and calves, but not so good for maiden heifers.
"They were tough, there's just not a market here for them at the moment, not in calf, not joined young heifers, there wasn't a market for them," he said.
Mr Jefferis said the cows in calf with a herd bull calf on them were definitely attractive packages.
"They (the buyers) got a herd bull next year and a free cow and calf," he said.
"We did this (type of production sale) in '21, five years ago, and we're just overloaded with cattle again so decided to do it again, rather than go out and buy more country."
As well as the 4046ha (10,000-acres) property, Brigalow, the Jefferis family has another property, Mostowi, of 5260ha (13,000 acres) at Baralaba, and a neighbouring leased block running 500 head
Mr Jefferis said he was expecting a better day for day two on Saturday, July 17.
"I've got a feeling there'll be a fresh crew of people come," he said.
- Selling agents: Queensland Rural, Charters Towers and GDL, simulcast through Stocklive
