National buyers snap up entire Paringa draft on calving ease genetics

A strong focus on calving ease and bulletproof maternal fertility led to fierce competition at Paringa Livestock's annual bull sale, with commercial and stud buyers from across Australia purchasing the stud's entire 42-head yearling draft.

Paringa Livestock stud principals Tom and Olivia Lawson sold 27 Angus bulls to a top price of $52,000 to average $13,556 and 15 Stabilizer bulls to a top price of $14,000 to average $9200.

Buyer interest spanned Victoria, NSW, Queensland, King Island, Tas, and the Northern Territory.

"The point of difference with the entire draft was that these bulls were positive calving ease and suitable for heifers, which is unheard of," Ms Lawson said.

"More and more people are interested in ensuring they are not pulling calves anymore.

"We have clients who used to have calving problems and since buying our bulls, they can go on holidays during calving season because they are so confident they won't need to assist."

Ms Lawson said every sale bull was backed by a dam with flawless maternal productivity.

"Every single dam of these bulls has never missed a calf and rebred back again during the drought last year," she said.

"Maternal productivity is not often talked about and some people don't dig deep into pedigree to look into cow performance behind the bulls, but it really helps build that fertility into the herd."

The August 2025-drop bulls were sold exclusively online, with the top-priced Angus bull, Lot 15, Paringa Westmark W634, knocked down to a syndicate of four buyers.

The syndicate included Bellaspur Angus, Balmattum, Deep Creek Cattle Services Pty Ltd, Wynyard, Tas, Mackinnon Pastoral, Tintaldra, and World Wide Sires Australia, Shepparton.

Lot 15 was sired by Trio Utopia U101 and out of Paringa Mogul U654 and in the top 12 per cent of the breed for calving ease, top 8pc for carcase weight, top 18pc for docility and top 3pc for 400-day weight.

World Wide Sires beef program manager Dale Edwards said semen from the bull would be available for purchase in the coming weeks to months.

"We think the market has shifted a little and people are looking for more balanced bulls," Mr Edwards said.

"Everyone likes the fancy numbers, but if you study this bull closely, he is extremely balanced across all his data and his multi-traits that you look at.

"He is very good on birth weight, docility, growth and you could name quite a lot if you wanted to."

The stud also sold its complete draft of 15 Stabilizer composite bulls, with the top-priced $14,000 bull, Lot 38, Paringa Black Stabilizer W648, bought by CAP Genomics, Brisbane.

The bull was sired by Coota Park Blue-E Q8 and out of Meadow Creek S102.

Ms Lawson said the bull was quiet and stylish-looking and comprised 61pc Angus, 16pc Simmental, 3pc Red Poll, 16pc Shorthorn and 4pc Gelbvieh.

The bull was ranked in the top 1pc globally for dollar profit index and top 2pc for dollar ranch for maternal performance.

"We researched worldwide for the best genetic selection index for multi-breed animals," Mr Lawson said.

"Profit index includes traits that most impact profitability, including revenue and cost traits.

"It is the only genetic analysis that recognises the benefits of heterosis and accounts for the cost side of the equation."

The major volume buyer was long-standing client, Lyndavale Cattle Company, Ghan, NT, which bought 14 bulls, including eight Angus and six Stabilizer bulls to a top price of $12,000 twice.

Lyndavale Cattle Company director Ross Stanes said the company ran about 5000 breeders, including Angus, Stabilizer, Charolais and composite heifers cows, and supplied cattle to the USDA organic beef market.

"We have been working with Paringa now for 13 or 14 years and we've got pretty closely aligned breeding objectives," Mr Stanes said.

"Some of these bulls will be joined to maiden heifers at the start of December.

"Every bull we buy is suitable to be joined to heifers ... and once we join a bull to a group of females, it will stay with that group of females for the rest of its working life."

Terranova Pastoral, Cattle Creek, NSW, was another major buyer, purchasing six bulls to a top price of $14,000 for Lot 6, W62.

Elders stud stock manager for Victoria and the Riverina Ross Milne attributed the sale's success to Paringa's growing reputation for reliable breeding and strong client base.

Mr Milne said the well-presented draft featured balanced data and offered some of the first progeny by popular artificial insemination sires, including Cluden Newry Uppercut U15 and Trio Utopia U101.