Biarra Valley Victory: victorious as top-price Simmental bull at CQ sale
A Biarra Valley bull lived up to its name, Victory, at the CQ Select Simmental Bull Sale on Friday, September 4, taking sale honours for the highest price.
The sale at CQLX Gracemere saw five vendors - Biarra Valley, Esk; Clay Gully, Esk; Kendall Park, Coles Creek; Springfield, Monto; and Jamac, Degilbo - offer up 62 bulls, with Biarra Valley Victory securing $40,000.
The 24-month-old homozygous polled bull was bought by Lindsay Russell, Mount Macquarie Pastoral, Blackall, through Elders agent, Chris Todd.
Before making the decision to purchase the top-price bull, Mr Russell and his wife Gillian inspected all the Biarra Valley bulls for sale at the open day on Emily and Gareth Laycock's property at Esk in August.
"I think he's a beautiful bull, he's got plenty of meat on him and has a beautiful temperament, I think he's a great bull," Mr Russell said.
Sired by Jarravale Quantum and out of Biarra Valley Plumaro, Biarra Valley Victory tipped the scales at 910kg.
With the highest eye muscle area of the sale at 147 square centimetres, he recorded a P8 and rib fat of 8 and 6 millimetres respectively, an IMF of 6.2 per cent and a scrotal circumference of 41cm.
As well as the top-price bull, Mr Russell bought a second Biarra Valley bull, Biarra Valley Vanguard, for $24,000 while his wife Gillian separately purchased two bulls, paying $10,000 for a black Simmental, Biarra Valley Vintage, and $28,000 for Clay Gully M Wilbur.
Mr Russell said they bred bulls for themselves and had been breeding Simbrah bulls for a long time.
He said the Simmentals went really well in their country at Blackall/Tambo.
"It's good cattle country," he said.
This year's sale saw 61 bulls out of 62 sell under the hammer for a clearance rate of 98pc, for an average of $13,819 and a gross of $843,000. The last bull sold after the sale for 100pc clearance.
In 2025, of the 90 bulls offered by the five vendors, 82 sold for a clearance rate of 91pc, a sale gross of $726,000, and an average of $8854. The top price bull, Biarra Valley Ultra, sold for $32,000 to Beeblee Pastoral, Nebo.
One buyer, Leonard Hicks, Woura Park Pastoral, Torrens Creek, dominated the bulk purchases, buying 18 bulls for a gross of $254,000 and an average of $14,111.
A repeat buyer, Mr Hicks, who was at the sale, with his daughter, Sophia, and agent Luke Smith, Kennedy Livestock, Clermont, said the bulls would be used in his mixed commercial herd of Brahmans, Charolais and Simmental cows.
Mr Hicks said the bulls at this sale seemed to be some of the tougher Simmentals for his country, which was not all buffel.
"We have a certain amount of desert country, which we run cows on, and they seem to be fairly tough," he said.
Biarra Valley Simmentals principal Gareth Laycock said he and his wife, Emily, offered 30 bulls including the top-price bull.
2026 CQ Select Simmental Bull Sale
Friday, September 4
Mr Laycock said Biarra Valley Victory had always been a standout right from when he was a calf.
"He's a bull we would have loved to retain, but he was just too closely related to what we've got," he said. "But he's just a real sire and he's always been my favourite."
Mr Laycock said he was over the moon with this year's results, which were very strong, and much better than last year's, with the averages up by about $5000.
He put the positive results down to the strong cattle market, a good yarding of bulls and a good outlook for the beef industry.
As to his family's success, Mr Laycock said they focused on breeding commercially relevant bulls with slick skin, plenty of muscle and carcase, and quiet temperament.
Elders stud stock agent Anthony Ball said the result was tremendous for all the vendors and underpinned by repeat buyers.
"There was obviously a good spread of buyers on the bulls, with some going to the coast, some going up to Clermont, and plenty in the central (area) here," he said.
"The Simmental job's been strong for a number of years now, and it's probably reflective of that feeder price as well.
"There's a bit of a trend, I suppose, for these Euro cattle, the Simmental cattle, at the moment.
"But they are very hardy, versatile cattle, and these cattle in particular are obviously coastal-bred cattle in ticks and lantana and the hills where they come from, so they do have a reputation for being tough, honest cattle."
Vendor averages:
Biarra Valley, Esk - 30/30 for an average of $14,933
Clay Gully, Esk - 14/14 for an average of $12,000
Kendall Park, Coles Creek - 8/8 for an average of $12,500
Springfield, Monto - 9/9 for an average of $12,111
Jamac, Degilbo - 1/1 for an average $12,000
- Selling agents: GDL, Elders and Stocklive
