Commercial producers push this year's Marellan Shorthorn sale average up 24pc
After realising an increase of 23.67 per cent on last year's average and a 100pc clearance, Lincoln Job, Marellan Shorthorns, Emerald, billed this year's sale result as 'outstanding'.
All 45 bulls offered were sold at the 13th annual on-property sale on Tuesday, September 29, and all except two sold to commercial buyers.
Fetching the top price was the first bull of the sale, Marellan Bullseye, purchased online by brother and sister, Donald and Helen Burnett, Mt Douglas Pastoral, Clermont, for $28,000.
The 29-month-old roan, poll bull was sired by Marellan United N6 and was out of Marella Estera R105.
It weighed 806 kilograms, had a P8 and rib fat of 11 and 8 millimetres respectively, an eye muscle area of 128 square centimetres, a scrotal circumference of 39cm, an intramuscular fat measurement of 6.7pc and a motility of 80pc.
The catalogue listing said "Bullseye truly hits the mark for producing bullocks and replacement heifers".
Mr Burnett said he went and had a look at all the Marellan bulls a few weeks ago and Bullseye stood out to him.
"Just his length, his depth, and he's got a great hindquarter," he said.
"When I said to Lincoln 'I really like him', Lincoln said 'we think we're going put him on the front cover' (of the catalogue) and when I heard that I thought, 'maybe I'm on the right track here'."
A supporter of Marellan Shorthorns for many years, Mr Burnett said he also liked the fact that the bulls were bred in central Queensland.
"So they're used to the heat, the ticks, the flies, they're all acclimatised," he said.
Mr Burnett said Bullseye would probably go in with some really high-quality red Brahman heifers he bought a couple of years ago.
He said they only had Shorthorn bulls over them and the first round of weaners were the heaviest of all their weaners this season.
"I was really impressed with them ... this is probably only the second calf drop from those heifers so we haven't had a lot of experience over the years with them, but I think it's working out to be a really good cross," he said.
Mr Burnett said his father, Noel, had Shorthorns many years ago, but had gone out of them.
He said he had always liked Shorthorns, especially the Roans, so when Marellan Shorthorns started up he decided to give them another go five or six years ago and they were working out really well.
"They were an impressive line up, even their red bulls this year I thought were good," he said.
"I think over the years I've been going there, I think this line-up was probably the best I've seen."
Mr Job said this year's sale was a little up on last year, but on par with most other years.
He said they got a lot of support from producers in ticky country, ranging from Georgetown down to Eidsvold, and across to Jundah in the west.
"With our bulls, we're trying to produce and just use them with Bos Indicus cows and (they) really blend well," he said.
Mr Job said the top seller, Marellan Bullseye, had always been a pretty good calf.
"He's a really clean-coated bull and (he's got) carcase, but is still easy doing, so I think he'll really fit well with their (the Burnetts') Brahman cows," he said.
Mr Job said it was pleasing the top-price bull had gone to a commercial breeder because that was the family's business model - 'selling bulls in Queensland to Queenslanders'.
"I think most ... Queensland cattlemen and women are looking for options that can hit market specs," he said.
"And they're looking for options that can survive and what we've done in our herd is just majored on the survivability, and so because of that ... it gives them more relevance to the industry up here."
Volume buyers, Fred and Anna Appleton, Islay Plains, Alpha, have bought Marellan Shorthorns at every on-property sale the Job family has held at Emerald.
This year, the Appletons bought 10 bulls to average $13,600.
Mr Appleton said Shorthorns worked for their country, and had good fertility and meat quality.
"And it comes through at the other end so it's kind of pretty simple stuff, but it just works for us," he said.
With a large family-owned organic breeding and fattening enterprise, the Appletons sell bullocks direct to the meatworks in Biloela or Brisbane.
The operation involves several properties in the Channel Country, as well as some in central Queensland near Alpha and between Charters Towers and Clermont.
Mr Appleton said he chose the Shorthorn breed because he liked them, and they were targeting meat quality for the organic job.
The 10 bulls purchased at this year's sale are destined for the Appletons' property near Bedourie.
Mr Appleton said the bulls were all pretty similar.
"I just chase a good carcase and they need to look all right. I don't get too fussed or carried away about it," he said.
"I don't care what colour it is ... I just go on the animal first."
Mr Appleton said Shorthorns had been a meat breed for 200 to 300 years, and had inbuilt fertility and meat quality.
He said the traits that beef producers were chasing were already built into the Shorthorn breed a long time ago.
"And then Lincoln has come up to central Queensland ...however many years ago, and he's breeding an animal that survives in the central Queensland environment with ticks and heat and humidity," he said.
"It's good for us that he's done all the hard work so that we've got animals that survive."
2026 Marellan Shorthorns Bull Sale
Monday, September 29
As well as a 100pc clearance, this year's sale recorded an average of $14,311 and a gross of $644,000.
In 2025, 52 of 55 bulls sold for a 94 per cent clearance, reaching a top price of $36,000 and an $11,576 average.
Having recently leased some more country, Mr Job said the family was hoping to expand their cattle numbers.
"Those much bigger numbers will start filtering through the system in a couple of years' time, which will be good because ... there was a number of people here today looking for good bulls and they were unsuccessful," he said.
"Our biggest issue is matching supply and demand, and we need to increase that supply so that's just what's going on in the background for us.
"But, it's always got to be with animals that can survive up here - the meat quality and maternal traits in Shorthorns are great, but survivability has to come first to have relevance in the north."
The two bulls that sold to Shorthorn studs went south to the Dubbo region in NSW with one stud, Royalla Shorthorns, paying the second top price of $24,000 for Marellan Bonanza .
- Selling agents: Hoch & Wilkinson, Clermont, simulcast through AuctionsPlus
