Poll genetics prove their worth as WA buyer pays top price for Brahman

Buyers from across Australia embraced the Frontier Genetics online bull sale on Friday, August 28 with the top-priced Brahman bull heading to Western Australia.

From an offering of 112 bulls, 92 were sold to achieve a clearance rate of 82 per cent. Overall, the sale averaged $10,358.70 to gross $953,000.

Frontier Genetics is made up of 10 vendors - Ag Resource Management, Boogal Cattle, Elrose Enterprises, Everingham Pastoral Co, Tarramba Brahmans and Brangus, Wambiana Station, REB Grazing, Rockley Brahmans, RV Pastoral and Trafalgar Pastoral Company.

The top-priced bull was Boogalgopal FG Sir 5720, a son of Boogalgopal Pretty Rough 4586 and out of Boogalgopal Langer's Honey 4434.

Lance Burnham, on behalf of Boogal Cattle Co, Monto and Eidsvold, sold the 22-month-old polled grey Brahman bull for $37,000 to Bettini Beef at De Grey Station, Port Hedland.

Mark Bettini, De Grey Station, said they breed their own stud bulls across their five properties in Western Australia, totalling just over one million hectares and 17,500 head of breeders.

They decided to purchase Boogalgopal FG Sir 5720 from Boogal Cattle Co to go into their stud and increase their poll genetics.

"There's a couple of traits we really want to drive and that is to get hold of poll genetics, we're really moving towards polled cattle," he said.

"With the poll gene, we didn't want to lose any of the other traits such as the muscling and the bone, with that bull it had a lovely head.

"We just thought it was a really good package and we have bought from the Boogal stud before and we thought it'll be a good thing."

Boogalgopal FG Sir 5720 sat in the top two per cent of the breed for scrotal size (+3.9) for August 2026 estimated breeding values.

He was in the top 6pc for flight time, top 7pc for rib fat and top 15pc for birthweight, rump fat and intramuscular fat.

Mr Bettini said the decision to buy Queensland cattle was driven by performance recording.

"There's no Brahman studs over here with that kind of performance recording and we're after data-driven bulls with really good data sets," he said.

"They've been reared on grass, so what you see is what you get."

One of the main traits that attracted Mr Bettini to the 22-month-old polled grey Brahman bull was his temperament.

"It would have been great to get there and see the bull in the flesh, but Lance helped out with videos and you can see how quiet the cattle are," he said.

The top-priced red Brahman bull, lot 98, was Rockley FG Longview, a son of Elmo Picasso 1023/7 and out of Rockley Miss Datababe 433.

Rockley Brahmans, Moura, sold the 23-month-old homozygous polled bull for $29,000 to the Curley family, Gipsy Plains Cattle Co, Cloncurry.

Rockley FG Longview sat in the top one per cent of the breed for gestation length (-5.5) for August 2026 estimated breeding values.

He also sat in the top one per cent of the breed for retail beef yield (+2.6), was in the top 6pc for flight time, top 10pc for carcase weight and top 10pc for mature cow weight.

It was not the first time the Curleys have purchased from Rockley Brahmans and would not be the last, according to Clayton Curley, who said Rockley "put in the hard yards".

Mr Curley said he hoped they had backed a winner that would fit into their breeding herd well.

"He has a lovely double P head on him, like proper size head on him," he said. "Good sheath, a very correct bull in general and he had good data to go with it," he said.

The Curleys also purchased the top-priced Tarramba Brahman bull, lot 122, Tarramna FG Ironbark 5445, for $19,000. Mr Curley applauded the bull for its terrific data, type, temperament and length.

Elders selling agent Anthony Ball said they were very happy with the results of the sale as all statistics had improved significantly.

"Clearance was higher, average was higher, gross was higher," he said.

"We saw bulls go to a place called Broke, which is three hours south of Tamworth and then obviously we saw bulls go to De Grey Station in Western Australia. Bulls also went to the Northern Territory and obviously all through southern, central and northern Queensland."

Mr Ball said the sale brought confidence to the Brahman breed as a whole.

"It probably underpins some confidence in the Brahmans ... you're always happy to have an improved result, and the fact that there's new buyers and existing buyers operating is always pleasing to see as well," he said.

• Selling agents: Elders, interfaced with AuctionsPlus.