How a focus on Queensland conditions is seeing buyers return year after year
Repeat buyers dominated this year's Bauhinia Park Charolais and Angus bull sale on Wednesday, August 26, bidding up big to pay the top price across both breeds.
Held at the Ag-Grow bull selling centre, Emerald, it was repeat buyer, Gavin Scott, Rosetta Grazing, Collinsville, who landed the top price Charolais, Bauhinia Park Valiant V63E, with a bid of $45,000.
Weighing 902 kilograms, the 23-month-old white poll bull was sired by Bauhinia Park Sensation and was out of Bauhinia Park Sunday.
Valiant had P8 and rib fat of 8 millimetres and 6 millimetres respectively, an eye muscle area of 143 square centimetres, an IMF of 4.6 per cent and a scrotal size of 38 centimetres.
After all 42 Charolais sold through the ring, it was Bill Curran, Mentmore Grazing, Pindi Pindi, on behalf of the Zatta family, who scored the top-price Angus, Bauhinia Park Sky High V111, for $20,000.
Sired by Glenmorgan Big Sky Man P236 and out of Bauhinia Miss Net Worth K42, the 24-month-old Angus bull weighed 836kg.
Described as a "beautiful, free-moving bull", Sky High had P8 and rib fat of 12mm and 7mm respectively, an EMA of 128sq cm, an IMF of 6.8pc and a scrotal size of 38cm.
In its 22nd year, vendors Ryan Holzwart, along with his wife, Rachel, and his parents, Jeff and Raelea, were pleased with this year's sale results.
"We're stoked with the result, it's been a great day," Ryan Holzwart said.
For the Charolais, 42 bulls sold for a gross of $771,000, an average of $18,357 and a 100pc clearance.
Of the 41 Angus offered, 35 sold under the hammer for a gross of $355,000, an average of $10,142 and a clearance rate of 85pc.
Overall, the sale grossed $1,126 million to average $14,623.
In 2025, 41 Charolais bulls sold for 100pc clearance, to a top of $40,000 and an average of $15,292.
In the Angus section, 43 bulls sold for a high of $26,000 and an average of $11,906, with only one bull passed in.
Overall, 84 Charolais and Angus bulls sold to an average $13,559 and a gross of $1.139 million.
Mr Holzwart said the top-priced Charolais was a standout bull.
He said the bull would have appealed to buyers because of his extra bone and balance, and sire appeal.
"I know we had a bit of interest in him leading into the sale, so ... no surprise that he was a crowd favourite, he's a beautiful calf," he said.
Mr Holzwart said the Scott family, who had a commercial operation with a multi-breed herd, were very good judges and buyers of good cattle so it was nice to see this bull go to a good home.
Mr Scott purchased a second Charolais, Bauhinia Park Victory V49E, for $20,000, for an average of $32,500 for the two bulls.
Reflecting on his four Angus purchases, Mr Curran said that what he was mainly looking for was a clean coat, a bit of bone, a good head and a straight back.
"And, something that was going to adapt to our humidity on the coast and parasites, and these bulls here, they really seem to do the job for us on the coast," he said.
"They can travel through the hills and they seem to handle the parasites pretty good for their breed, and they're very, very quiet, their progeny."
Mr Curran said he and his wife, Trish, had been coming to the Bauhinia Park sale for the past four years.
He said the other three bulls he purchased had similar traits to the top selling bull, with the four averaging $11,000.
Mr Curran said the four bulls would go straight over their maiden Brahman heifers on October 1.
With a mixed operation, he said most of the steer progeny from these bulls would go straight off their mothers to a special sale at Sarina, with the rest sold as feeders.
"We have been keeping the lead of our black heifers for the last couple of years, and we will put a Brangus bull over them next year and continue on with a black herd," he said.
Mr Curran said the operation was about 70pc Brahman, but they wanted to reduce that to 60pc.
He said they turned off about 800 steers a year, which included 100 black calves, and retained about 50 black heifers.
At this year's sale, the bulk buyers were M and B Davison, Prairie, who bought six lots online for an average of $20,666, and Mulgrave Grazing Co, Barcaldine, which also bought six lots for an average of $15,333.
Selling agent Matthew Beard of RBV Rural said it was a really good sale with the Angus average very similar to last year and the Charolais average better than last year.
Mr Beard put this down to the fact there was a large number of Angus bulls available for sale across central Queensland and the Charolais were an exceptional draft of bulls.
He said the Holzwart family had been stud breeders for a long time and were very, very good at what they did.
Ryan Holzwart said they were trying to breed a very deliberate article.
"We're trying to breed well-grown cattle with plenty of soft fleshing, but cattle that can withstand Queensland conditions and we're getting a very good following from the central west and central Queensland," he said.
"The feedback on the bulls is that they're standing up in those environments.
"So the genetic potential and the softness of fleshing in the bulls, but also their ability to get out and work and hold up in dry conditions is probably where the repeat clients are coming from."
Buyers hailed from as far south as Roma and NSW, east to Dingo, west to Winton and north to Ingham.
Mr Beard said there was also a significant presence of online buyers, with 101 bidders on AuctionsPlus at one particular time.
Bauhinia Park Charolais is run by Ryan and Rachel Holzwart, Kensington, Yamala, while Jeff and Raelea Holzwart, Grandridge, Yamala, run Bauhinia Park Angus.
