Top dollar: semen straws fetch six figures at 2026 Marble High Wagyu sale
A set of two semen straws has sold for $150,000 each at the 2026 Marble High Wagyu sale, where the average and clearance were up on 2025.
About 50 people gathered at Burke and Wills Hotel in Toowoomba, Qld, for the multi-vendor sale on Friday, August 21, with international bidders active online.
Fierce bidding early saw the first four lots - all females offered by Arubial Wagyu - sell for an average of $127,500, and it continued into the bulls.
By the end of bidding, all 52 lots (including straws) had sold at auction for a 100 per cent clearance, an average of $44,100 and a gross of $2.29 million.
By comparison, vendors achieved a 95pc clearance at the 2025 sale, an average of $37,763 and a gross of $2.27 million.
Attendees saved the loudest applause of the day for one of the final lots, two straws to be produced by the Morgan family's Arubial W0969.
They sold to the Berland family of Bar V Wagyu in Kansas, US, for $150,000 each, in what a handful of industry stalwarts said was likely a semen straw world record for the breed.
Arubial Wagyu principal Laird Morgan said the price was well beyond his expectations.
See who caught up at the 2026 Marble High Wagyu sale
Pictures by Zac Braxton-Smith
"We thought the straws would sell well given the (two) bulls' figures, but that was something else," Mr Morgan said.
"They are probably the best two Wagyu bulls in the world on data.
"(Arubial W0969 and Arubial W0927) are in the top one pc of the three main indices, so the potential is there."
Arubial W0969 - by the late Arubial U1945 and out of Arubial T1747 - was eight months old, meaning the Berland family bought future semen collections, with a guarantee of 10 live calves through an IVF program.
The Berland family started in the Wagyu industry in 2015, using Angus cows for embryo recips and F1 production, before moving further into fullblood production.
The Morgan family also sold the top-price live lot, Arubial W2985, to Gene Flow principal Keith Hay and family, based on properties at Stanthorpe and the Riverina region, NSW, for the top price of $200,000.
She was 13 months old, by Irongate Michifuku F126 jnr and out of Miku Q16.
Arubial Wagyu principal Laird Morgan said Arubial W2985 had incredible balance across her figures, and she was in the top one per cent in the breeder-feeder index, the fullblood terminal index and the F1 terminal index.
"Sometimes there's a trade-off between milk and marbling, but not in her case," Mr Morgan said.
Arubial W2985 would go into Gene Flow's herd-building program, Mr Hay said.
"We've been setting up herds for others, alongside our own operation, for about the last 12 months, with three clients on our books," he said.
"The idea is that if someone wants a top 20pc, top 10pc or top 1pc herd, we can build it for them.
"We will probably implant (our new females) first, then sell embryos out of them."
The Hay family bought three Arubial females for $200,000, $180,000 and $100,000 respectively, as well as a set of two Arubial semen straws for $50,000 each.
Lachy Machin, represented at the sale by Premium Bovine Solutions, bought the top-price bull, Arubial W0055, for $60,000.
He was 18 months old and weighed 626 kilograms, by HP Wagyu Reliable and out of Arubial S0355.
GDL agent Geoff Maslen said the sale was well-supported by repeat buyers in western areas, central and north Queensland every year, but there was more interest from US bidders in 2026.
Bar V Wagyu principals Vince and Lynn Berland were yet to respond to a request for comment at the time of writing.
- Selling agents: GDL and Ray White Livestock Dalby.
