Pathfinder's top bull heads to Texas in stud's first Victorian spring sale
A standout bull combining exceptional growth and carcase traits topped the Moyle family's inaugural Pathfinder Angus Victorian spring sale at $24,000.
The Gazette sale came close to a full clearance, with 31 of 32 bulls offered finding buyers to average $12,032.
Pathfinder stud principal Nick Moyle said the family was delighted with the result, particularly given it was the stud's first Victorian spring sale.
"We added a spring sale to cater for clients running spring-calving programs, making it more convenient for them to buy bulls ready to work," Mr Moyle said.
"I think the result showed there's clear demand for a spring bull sale."
The sale attracted a mix of long-term repeat clients and new buyers, with spirited online bidding through AuctionsPlus helping drive the strong result.
Bulls headed to Queensland, South Australia, NSW and across Victoria.
The top-priced bull, Lot 6, Pathfinder V1490, was purchased online by Ben and Wendy Mayne, Texas Angus, Warialda, NSW, with the young sire set to join their 1000-head stud breeding program.
The October 2024-drop bull was sired by Paringa Statesman S115, out of Pathfinder Lotto R646, and weighed 888 kilograms.
The sale-topper recorded TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation figures, including +133kg 400-day weight and +173kg for 600-day weight, placing him in the top 1 per cent of the Angus Breedplan analysis, along with a +32 docility figure ranking him in the top 13pc.
He also recorded +102kg for carcase weight and +15.5 square centimetres for eye muscle area (EMA), placing him in the top 2pc of the breed, and +4.5 for intrasmuscular fat (IMF), ranking him in the top 13pc.
Texas stud principal Wendy Mayne and her son Will made the trip to Gazette ahead of the sale to inspect the bull, having first seen him on social media.
"Finding balanced bulls with great phenotype and solid data is not easy," Mrs Mayne said.
"Often you will find a great data bull but the phenotype lets you down or vice versa.
"When we saw V1490 online we really wanted to see him in the flesh and make sure he would suit our program."
She said the bull's high growth and carcase credentials were impressive, while his quiet temperament and mobility also ticked important boxes.
"He's a very complete bull to us and should cross well over our females," she said.
The second top-priced bull was another Statesman son, Lot 9, Pathfinder Statesman V1232, bought online for $20,000 by Dunn Livestock operating through Nutrien Port Augusta, SA.
The August 2024-drop, 878kg bull featured a 400-day weight of +108kg and a 600-day weight of +138kg, ranking him in the top 18pc of the breed, while his carcase weight was +76 with an EMA of +9.4sqcm.
Volcanic Views, operating through Nutrien Hamilton, set the pace early, securing three bulls to average $13,333, including lots 2 and 4, both sons of Baldridge SR Goalkeeper.
Halfpenny Green, purchasing through Nutrien Warrnambool, also featured strongly, taking home two bulls to $16,000 and averaging $14,000.
Long-time Pathfinder clients Mark and Catherine Fraser, Westbury Ag, secured three bulls to $15,000 and averaged $11,000.
The Frasers have been buying Pathfinder genetics for the past 15 years and currently run 320 spring-calving breeders.
Among their selections was Lot 29, Pathfinder V1502, another Pathfinder Statesman son, which recorded a carcase weight EBV of +87kg, ranking in the top 9pc of the breed, and an EMA of +17.8sqcm, placing him in the top 1pc.
"Being a spring-calving herd, it suits us down to the ground buying bulls at this time of year," Mr Fraser said.
"We had used Statesman in an artificial insemination program and were keen to secure more of his genetics."
Alistair and Melissa Down, Murella, Codrington, paid $19,000 for Lot 27, Pathfinder Paratrooper V1449.
