Top price blown away at Kilkenny Charolais bull sale at Woolooga

Brisbane Valley buyers were out in force at the annual Kilkenny Charolais bull sale at Woolooga on July 24, lifting both the sale top price and average considerably for stud principal Mike Lawlor.

Bids rang out consistently around the hills surrounding the picturesque South Burnett venue, resulting in a top price of $34,000, an average price of $13,582, and a full clearance of the 79 bulls on offer.

In comparison, last year's sale saw a complete clearance of 78 bulls for an average of $10,294 and a top of $18,000.

It was a very satisfying outcome for Mr Lawlor, who said he'd expected a strong sale but not one as strong as the end result.

"I started off at Kilkivan and we have a sale here to accommodate all in the Brisbane Valley," he said. "There were a lot of repeat buyers - the breed's very popular for weaner sales, where they do well."

It was a Maryborough cattleman, Glen Titmarsh who bought the top priced bull though, making it his first purchase of Kilkenny genetics in a number of years.

He outlaid $34,000 for Kilkenny V53E, a white horned bull aged 21 months.

The bull weighed 800 kilograms, had P8 and rib fat scans of 9 and 6 millimetres respectively, an eye muscle area of 130 square centimetres, intramuscular fat of 4.9 per cent, and a scrotal circumference of 40 centimetres.

It was the Titmarsh family's Tandora Grazing Co's only purchase at the sale and Glen Titmarsh said he was the one they'd picked out that they wanted.

"I haven't paid that much for a bull before, but the kids -Thomas and Andrew - were keen to have him," he said. "Everything was right about him - his figures were good, he had muscle definition - he was hard to fault from a commercial point of view."

The Titmarshes will put him over Brahman cows on their coastal country east of Maryborough, targeting the weaner market.

Although Queensland's Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett was otherwise engaged on the day, his wife Michelle had the chequebook for the sale, paying the second-top price of $32,000 for Kilkenny V47, a white horned full French bull.

Ms Perrett then paid $29,000 for the next bull into the ring, Kilkenny V61. Both bulls were sired by Ayr Anchor's Maroon.

Perrett Grazing finished with three bulls for an average price of $26,666, and Mr Lawlor said they looked for the thicker-muscled carcase bulls for their good conversion rate in intensive feeding situations.

The $32,000 second-top price was also outlaid by Trevor and Shona Rockemer, Rockemer Grazing at Brooweena.

Long-time clients, Blackall's David and Kate Moller were the sale's volume buyers, selecting nine bulls for an average $17,000.

They had a mile to make after the sale but Mr Lawlor said the intramuscular fat figures were one of the big factors they concentrated on with their purchases, giving them fat cover for their organic operation.

The other major purchaser was D and G Brennan, Beaudesert, who bought five bulls for a total of $58,000.

All up, just over 100 bid cards were written out for the sale, held in conjunction with the Emjay Wellcamp Charbray sale at the same venue, and bulls went to Linville, Nanango, Toogoolawah, Windera, Biggenden, Boonah, and Esk, along with one bull to John Brown at Jabinda, Tambo, for $26,000, and three to Basalt Grazing at Hughenden.

• Selling agents - Shepherdson & Boyd, Sullivan Livestock, simulcast with AuctionsPlus