Selective bidding marked the 40th anniversary of the CAP Droughtmaster sale
Four bidders went head-to-head, but central Queensland producer Alan Foot came out on top, claiming the top-priced polled bull for a little over $20,000 at this year's CAP Droughtmaster sale.
Mr Foot and his wife, Jane, Karina Downs, Capella, paid $22,000 for Glenavon Chucky, a homozygous polled bull, weighing 782 kilograms.
Sired by Glenlands D Exclusive Rights, the 23-month-old AI bull was out of Glenavon 4319, and had Rondel bloodlines on his sire's side.
It had P8 and rib fat measurements of 11 and 9 millimetres respectively, an eye muscle area of 133 square centimetres, a scrotal circumference of 37cm, semen motility of 75 per cent, and an intramuscular fat reading of 4.6pc.
The sale at CQLX Gracemere on Thursday, September 24, marked the 40th anniversary of the sale.
It involved two vendors - John Atkinson, Glenavon, Yaamba, offering 42 bulls, and Karen and Duncan Geddes, Telemon, Springsure, offering six.
Mr Foot said he bought the bull on his breeding, general appeal and the fact he liked him.
He said he had a good underline, feet and weight for age, and was polled.
"That's probably the biggest thing, that he was polled," he said.
As well as Glenavon Chucky, the Foots bought two more 23-month-old polled bulls - Glenavon Cowboy Up for $13,000 and Glenavon 5250 for $9000 - for an average of $14,666.
With a breeding and fattening operation, Mr Foot said all three bulls would go into their commercial breeding Droughtmaster herd
He said they might also breed a few bulls from them.
When asked why Droughtmasters, Mr Foot said they were the best breed of cattle in Australia.
"They just suit our country and they do a job for us, we like them, we've had different breeds, but that's a mix that we like," he said.
Mr Foot said he had tried crossbreeding, but was back to just predominantly Droughtmasters.
"That's it, full stop, we don't muck around," he said.
Long-time supporters of the CAP sale, Bill and Maxine Cragg, Mourindilla, Dingo, bought one bull, Glenavon Cadet, for $10,000 at auction and another two - Glenavon 5111 and Glenavon 5113 for $6000 each - after the sale.
Mr Cragg said he had bought bulls every year at the CAP sale and returned because the bulls always performed, coming off the coast.
2026 CAP Droughtmaster Sale
Thursday, September 24
"John (Atkinson) doesn't overfeed them and they always grow into good bulls," he said.
Mr Cragg said Mr Atkinson and the Geddes had done a really good job offering a quality line of bulls this year.
"I didn't need as many this year, so that's why I've only end up with three, but, yes, it's always a good sale, and as John's slogan goes, 'if you want a good bull, you'll come to a Capricorn sale'," he said.
In total, 28 bulls of 48 sold at auction for a clearance of 58.33pc, a gross of $240,000 and an average of $8630.
Another five sold after the sale by private treaty.
Mr Atkinson said he was disappointed, but pragmatic about this year's results.
"I think it was a very tough day ... the bulls that have sold, they sold very well," he said.
"The crowd we had here obviously picked out the same bulls.
"We've been here for a long time and you take the good with the bad, we've had some good ones (sales), we've had some tough ones and you carry on."
In 2025, the top-priced bull sold for $60,000 to a WA buyer while the sale grossed $421,500, had a clearance rate of 90 per cent, and an average of $10,500.
Julian Laver, Nutrien Ag Rockhampton, also acknowledged the sale was "a bit of a tough one".
Like Mr Atkinson, Mr Laver said everyone who was buying was looking at the same article.
"The right bulls out to $22,000 had three or four people on them and the same thing happened throughout the sale - any bull that made money had three or four people on it," he said.
Other buyers were Kerryn Piggott, Christmas Creek Rolleston, who bought three bulls for an average of $7000, and Albinia Pastoral, Clermont, who also bought three lots for an average of $9333.
- Selling agents: Nutrien Ag Solutions, interfaced with Stocklive
