Clunie Range defies dry season with 100pc clearance at debut Taroom sale

While the Guest family worried their first foray into the Queensland stud stock auction scene was too late in the season, it was perfect timing for the buyer of the top-priced bull at the Clunie Range Angus bull sale held at Taroom on Friday, October 2.

Kilcoy's PD Nicklin and PJ Stanton bought the second bull into the ring at the Robert Adams Memorial selling centre at Taroom's showgrounds, for $22,000 via a phone bid, and it was their only purchase.

Speaking after the sale, Peter Stanton said he had an urgent need to replace their current Clunie Range sire, when he injured himself soon after being put out with their Angus cows.

"He'd only been out for two-and-a-bit weeks but he couldn't serve any more cows, so it was just luck that this sale was on today," Mr Stanton said. "As soon as I can get him home, he'll be out with the cows."

The sire prospect he purchased, Clunie Range Very Gentle V235, was 32 months old, weighed 1012 kilograms, had an average daily weight gain statistic of 1.08kg, P8 and rib fat measurements of 18 and 13 millimetres respectively, intramuscular fat of 7.3 per cent, and a scrotal circumference of 39 centimetres.

He was sired by Dunoon Recharge R102, but it was his dam, Clunie Range Mayflower R237 that Mr Stanton was most interested in.

As well as outlaying the top money for Very Gentle's growth for age and balanced figures, Mr Stanton said he had a good maternal background.

"The girls have all the say in the breeding of good bulls," he said.

Once a buyer for the Kilcoy Meatworks and owning the Kilcoy Butchery, Mr Stanton said he always ran cattle for his shop, and he liked Angus for their eating quality and yield.

Clunie Range stud principal Brett Guest said the bull had inspected very well.

"People were impressed with the sheer volume of him - he has a great top line, and slick skin, which is ideal going into ticky country," he said.

Mr Guest said he was happy with the sale outcome, considering the season had deteriorated so rapidly in the past three to four weeks, making producers more nervous.

"The feed supply is disappearing, the cattle market is under a little bit of pressure, and people were telling us they'd already bought bulls," he said. "We'll be moving next year's sale forward."

All up, the 61 bulls offered were all sold, for a 100pc clearance and an average price of $11,147.54.

Breaking that down, the 28 yearling bulls offered were sold for an average of $10,035.71 while the 33 older bulls sold for an average of $12,090.91.

The top price paid for a younger bull was $18,000, outlaid by the Cockatoo Cattle Co at Taroom, for Clunie Range Willy W118, 19 months old, weighing 704kg and putting on weight at a rate of 1.28kg a day, with a scrotal circumference of 38cm, P8 and rib fat measurements of 17 and 12mm respectively, an EMA of 110sq cm, and IMF of 6.4pc.

The sale's second top price, $20,000, was paid twice, by the Bell Bros of Taroom, and the other by GSB Jerrard, Robertson Creek, also of Taroom.

Of the first four bulls offered, three were sold to NSW bidders operating online, including A & D Lane, Dunedoo, G & G Browning, Mebul (near Gulgong), and James Wilson from Collarenabri.

Pictures by Sally Gall

Mr Guest said he'd had inquiry from as far south as Victoria before the sale, and that producers from the Richmond region were among their regular clients.

"We've had country here for 10 years - we're starting to be locals," he said.

"It's Santa central here but we've sold a lot of bulls and it's getting better every year.

"We thought it was time to have an auction here - it supports the agents, and it gives everyone an opportunity to buy the bulls."

The volume buyer on Friday was Townsville producer Jim Peterson, Ollera Creek Station, taking 10 bulls for an average $7100.

Not far behind him were C, LA & T Cameron, Cunno, Augathella, who bought six for for $11,166 on average.

Taroom's Rowe Cattle Co finished the sale with four bulls, for an average price of $12,500.

• Selling agent: Nutrien Ag Solutions, interfaced with AuctionsPlus