Why a $28,000 heifer was the top buy at the National Wagyu sale at Roma

Buyers from as far south as Victoria and Tasmania, along with one from the US, underpinned a satisfying result for the fourth national Wagyu bull and female sale at Roma on July 31.

Ten vendors from Queensland and NSW presented 54 bulls for sale, selling 47 for an 87 per cent clearance and a $9234 overall average.

Three of the six females offered were sold, to a top of $28,000, for an average price of $13,666.

Female buyers included one from the US who was operating online, paying $6000, and who, according to selling agent Harvey Weyman-Jones, will leave his new heifer in Australia for embryo transfer production for export to the States.

One of the happiest vendors on the day was Macquarie Wagyu, situated east of Leyburn, who sold the top-priced bull for $26,000 and finished with a satisfying $17,666 average price paid.

That was a 100pc clearance of the six young bulls offered by the stud.

The top bull was sold to MB9+, situated between Millmerran and Inglewood, and operated by Lachlan Machin, who said he was looking for new blood for his Wagyu breeding operation.

"The bull had very good traits - his high marbling and carcase values - he suited our needs perfectly," he said. "It's our first time buying at Roma, but we've done business with [Macquarie] before; he's got quality cattle."

Macquarie stud principal Anthony Winter said he was "quite chuffed", partly because the top bull was all their own breeding, and partly because they market their bulls on carcase data rather than on estimated breeding values.

"It got support," he said. "The bull has an average marble score of 9, and 9+ is the highest you get paid for."

Writing on his social media page, Mr Winter said the result was "especially exciting as WK0036 is one of the first grand-progeny of M0491 to be offered at auction".

"M0491 is an exceptional dam-producing and carcase sire, by BDWFY0408 and out of our proven donor cow C1589," he said.

"Combined with the powerhouse Macquarie genetics of Q0291, a son of the renowned sire G113, WK0036 represents a pedigree we're incredibly excited to see develop in the years ahead."

It's the second time the stud has participated in the sale at Roma and Mr Winter told Queensland Country Life that they were pleased with the result, considering it was "not an easy market, with a lot of competition".

"I think we went well because our data is proven," he said.

On the female side, Shokunin Wagyu, from the Murray River region in NSW, sold Shokunin Nami W0605, a full-blood heifer out of one of the matriarchs of their herd, to Gingie Wagyu, based at Walgett, NSW, for the sale's top price.

She went to Gingie Wagyu from Walgett, NSW for $28,000 and Gingie spokesman Charlie Pye said she was an outcross for them, which made her extra attractive.

"Someone else wanted her too," he said. "It's all about the numbers for us, but she was good-looking too."

The vendors said they'd thought long and hard about parting with her, being defect-free, and pushing +10 for eye muscle area and +4 for marble score.

She sold with one straw of semen from "superstar sire" World K's Shigeshigetani 1593.

Shokunin Wagyu sold all three females offered, to average $13,666, and sold all eight bulls offered, to a top of $19,000 to average $12,125.

Gingie Wagyu also sold bulls at the sale and Mr Pye said while the market was slightly down, that was a good thing in a way as it made it more affordable for the people coming on board to breed F1 crosses for the meat market.

"The whole job is about meat production, not the stud game," he said.

"Being cheaper fuels the whole industry.

"The stud side drives genetic improvement but we need numbers and meat to expand."

Mr Weyman-Jones said the sale was satisfying overall, with a good turnout of buyers at Roma, and more online.

"There are a lot of Wagyu cattle in central and southern Queensland - that's where the majority of the bulls on the commercial side go.

"We wanted to go to an area with lots of buyers, so people can eyeball the bulls."

Arubial United was the sire with the largest number of progeny at the sale, resulting in 19 of 20 sold for a top of $21,000 and an average of $7842.

The sire with the top average was Macquarie Q291, with four progeny offered and sold to average $17,750.

Vendor results:

• Wivenhoe Wagyu, Toogoolawah: 3/3 sold; $18,000 top; $10,333 average
• Geneflow, Tocumwal, NSW: 5/8 sold; $11,000 top; $5600 average
• Gingie Wagyu, Walgett, NSW: 5/5 sold; $10,000 top; $7800 average
• Shokunin Wagyu, Murray River, NSW: 11/11 sold; $28,000 top heifer; $19,000 top bull; $12,545 average
  
• LA & DL Henschell, Moola: 0/3
• Macquarie Wagyu, Leyburn: 6/6 sold; $26,000 top; $17,666 average
• Windulka Holdings, Inglewood: 4/5 sold; $5000 top; $4000 average
• Carnana, Coolatai, NSW: 7/7 sold; $20,000 top; $9000 average
  
• Yarraford Trust, Glen Innes, NSW: 9/11 sold: $9000 top; $6000 average

• Selling agents - Weyman Jones and Co, Elders, interfaced with AuctionsPlus