Return buyers bid strongly at Northern Limousin Breeders Sale in Scone

Loyal clients showed their support at the annual multi-vendor Northern Limousin Breeders Sale at the Scone Selling Complex on August 7, with a top price of $26,000 achieved.

Of the 43 bulls offered, 41 sold to average $9,300, while two Limousin heifers were also offered and sold, topping at $10,000 and averaging $8000. The vendors included Angledale, TCW, Junction, River View, Froghollow, Clifton and Amber Park.

Sale committee representative Matthew Friend said the sale attracted strong support from a long-standing group of return buyers.

"It was a good, solid sale. We expected it to be well supported, but we were realistic given the season and cow numbers," he said.

"All the bulls were vet-checked by Peter Gorman from Upper Hunter Veterinary Services and he described the offering as the most even line of bulls he had vetted at the sale."

The top-priced bull, lot 3 in the sale catalogue, Angledale Vernon V45, sold to return buyer Terry McDonald, Hilldale, Mudgee, operating through McDonald Lawson Carter.

The 820-kilogram black bull was the youngest in the Angledale draft at 22 months of age, sired by Manali H271 and out of Ruby Park Novel.

He scanned an eye muscle area of 145 square centimetres, with eight millimetres of rump fat, 5mm of rib fat and 4.9 per cent intramuscular fat.

Mr McDonald, who is a retired stock and station agent, has been buying bulls from the Devine family's Angledale stud for the past eight years, running Limousin bulls over his 70 Angus cows.

"I'm only a small operator, but I've always used Limousin bulls over my Angus cows and have stuck with straight black, poll bulls," Mr McDonald said.

"I've found that if you've got Angus cows with good milk and feed and look after them well, then use the right Limousin bloodlines, you can put a bit more muscle on the calves when they're younger, particularly through the hindquarters."

He selected the top-priced bull for his exceptional temperament, having previously purchased a full brother two years ago.

"I thought his temperament was excellent. I bought a full brother to him two years ago, which I've still got, and he's very quiet. That's what I liked about this fellow too," Mr McDonald said.

"I'm not a figures expert, I either like them or I don't, but he's a good, even bull and I'm looking forward to using him early in spring."

Mr McDonald sells his Limousin-cross calves as vealers or weaners, depending on the season, aiming to turn them off at 330 to 380kg. The calves are sold through the Mudgee saleyards and are in strong demand from local butchers.

The Angledale stud also sold the second top-priced bull, lot 5, Angledale Vandansk V18, for $25,000 to Hunday Pastoral Co, Quirindi. Sired by Chateau Southpaw S30, the red Limousin bull weighed an impressive 884kg, with a EMA of 142mm, 6mm of rump fat, 5mm of rib fat and 5pc IMF.

In total, the stud offered and sold 15 bulls to a full clearance, averaging almost $12,500, a result stud principal Craig Devine was pleased with.

Mr Devine said the result was particularly encouraging given the challenging season and the significant number of cows sold out of the Hunter district in recent months.

"The last six months have been very dry for us and we were feeding everything from Christmas until about two months ago," he said.

"A big percentage of our bulls went to repeat buyers, which was really pleasing."

Meanwhile, Tyson and Courtney Will, TCW Limousins, Cherry Tree Hill, sold lot 1, TCW Valentino, for $22,000 to Queensland buyer Cooper Rd Properties, operating through Hayes and Co, while River View Limousins, Hillgrove, sold 12 bulls to a top of $14,000 for lot 13, River View Vector V266, purchased by LAS Limousins, Golspie.

The Bisley family from Amber Park Limousins, Wingham, sold the top priced female, a black poll heifer, Amber Park Wynta Meadow, to Heart & Spade Livestock, operating through Nutrien Ag Solutions Moss Vale.

The sale was conducted by Nutrien Ag Solutions Scone with Nutrien stud stock manager John Settree performing the auctioneering duties. AuctionsPlus provided the online interface.