First-time buyer takes home top-priced lot at 2026 ANC Charolais sale

A long-time frequenter but first-time buyer took home the top-priced lot at the 2026 ANC Charolais on-property sale in Guluguba on Friday, August 24.

All 125 bulls offered at the sale sold for a 100 per cent clearance and a $12,876 average, while 34 of the 43 heifer lots sold for a 79pc clearance and a $5647 average.

One heifer lot sold post-sale to bring the clearance to 82pc for a $5600 average.

Overall, including the heifer sold post-sale, 160/168 lots sold for a 95pc clearance, and a $1,805,500 sale gross.

The top-priced bull, ANC Vinh, sold for $48,000 to Brendale Charolais, Cooyar, and the top-priced heifer, ANC Otter's Xmas, sold for $9000 to Sharon and Les Leddington-Hill, LHU Agribusiness, Nanango.

The 25-month-old, 892 kilogram homozygous polled bull recorded 9mm of rump fat, 6mm of rib fat, had an intramuscular percentage of 4.8, and had an eye muscle area of 140 square centimetres.

He was sired by ANC Quinalow (ANCQ813F) and out of ANC King's Irina (ANC P176F).

The top-priced 26-month-old heifer was sired by ANC Otter (ANC N255F) and out of ANC Dam.

For comparison, at last year's sale, 131 bulls sold for an average of $11,672, a total clearance, while 44 of 48 heifers sold, a 92pc clearance, and averaged $5648.

The 2025 sale grossed $1,770,500 with a 98pc clearance, with the top-priced bull selling for $38,000, and the top-priced heifer selling for $15,000.

While it was not his first time attending the ANC sale, top-priced bull buyer Brendan Scheiwe, Brendale Charolais, Cooyar, said it was the first time he had purchased a bull from the stud.

"We run all our stud cows at Cooyar, and we run approximately 200 stud cows there," he said.

"We've been to the sale before, but we've never purchased anything before.

"This is the first time we'll be using an ANC bull."

When asked what stood out to him about his top-priced purchase, Mr Scheiwe said he wanted to introduce a homozygous polled bull into his stud herd.

"Obviously the poll thing is a big thing now," he said.

"This bull we've just bought is polled, homozygous polled, and is just still carrying that extra muscle and punch.

"His nature and his phenotype [also caught my eye]."

Unlike Mr Scheiwe, Sharon Leddington-Hill, LHU Agribusiness, Nanango, was a repeat buyer of ANC females, and said they performed well for her stud.

"We're running about 30 stud females, and we sell a few bulls each year at the Coolabunia Classic Charolais sale," she said.

"We focus on doing AI and embryo programs. In the last couple of years, we've been buying in some females.

"Obviously, we've been buying in from ANC, so this is the third year we've bought heifers through ANC."

The heifer's functionality caught Ms Leddington-Hill's eye during bidding.

"She's just a good, functional female that will do very well in our program," she said. "[When we get her home], she'll be joined and hopefully produce a nice bull."

Bulk buyers at the sale included APL, Casino, NSW, who purchased 14 bulls for an average of $11,714, GKW Pastoral Holdings, Injune, who purchased 10 bulls for an average of $12,600, and Hinchley Charolais, Taroom, who purchased 16 heifers for an average of $6500.

"The average was good and there were some very good prices there," Andrew Cass, ANC stud principal, said of the sale result.

"It is a sale where people can shop with confidence.

"It's one of the best value for money sales there is.

"It's a place where people can come and shop and get their stud bulls, and get their commercial bulls, and they're all there at a fair price."

Mr Cass said there was a strong stud buyer presence at this year's sale, with the top-priced bull standing out to buyers in particular for his quality.

"Besides being extraordinarily quiet and clean-coated, he's just a beautiful bodied bull and he's got genetics in there that would milk the house down," he said.

"There's a picture of one of the Quinalow daughters in the catalogue, and they are all just spot on with their udders.

"That was the last chance to get one, and I'm glad Brendan got his bull, because it will do well for him."

• Selling agents: Nutrien and GDL, interfaced with AuctionsPlus.