Yallaroo Hereford bull tops $23,000

A Yallaroo Hereford bull reached the $23,000 top price at the WA Livestock Salesmen’s Association Supreme Bull Sale at the Brunswick Showgrounds last Wednesday as a catalogue of 90 bulls and 98 registered buyers resulted in a 90 per cent clearance.

Overall, the multi-breed, multi-vendor sale, conducted by Elders and Nutrien Livestock, sold 80 bulls for a sale record average price of $7850, up $1817/head on last year when 58 bulls sold for an average price of $6043.

Topping the sale for the eighth consecutive year, Yallaroo Hereford stud principals Rob and Heather Francis, of Vasse, were pleased to offer another outstanding pedigree bull to repeat buyer Eddy Wedge, of Gingin.

Mr Wedge, who runs 120 commercial Hereford breeders, secured Yallaroo Quebec Q18 for the highest price of the sale: the 998kg bull was sired by Lotus Zeus and out of Yallaroo Silver Queen J40.

Three Hereford studs offered bulls, including Yallaroo, which sold eight for an average price of $8563.

From the Simmental line-up, the sale’s $15,000 second-highest price was achieved from the Patterson family’s Bullock Hills stud, based in Katanning.

Bullock Hills Quebec Q097, a black-skinned homozygous polled Simmental bull, was secured by commercial producers Rob and Minnie Italiano, of Harvey.

“We liked his balance and structure and he had impressive figures,” Mr Italiano said.

“It is our first Black Simmental bull, after using traditional types in the past, but we have used black genetics through AI in our herd.”

Mr Italiano said he would put the bull over Red Angus and Angus breeders to produce steers for the weaner market, and replacement heifers would also be selected.

Another Bullock Hills Black bull was secured by MM & MJ Johnston, of Boyup Brook, for $13,500.

Bullock Hills offered the highest volume of bulls, selling all 18 for an average price of $8570.

Also on offer were traditional Simmental bulls, with a Mubarn bull topping at $13,500.

Mubarn Quantum Q9 was secured by Naracoopa stud principals Kevin and Janice Hard, of William Bay. Mr Hard said the bull represented outcross genetics and had the softness, length, good temperament and excellent feet to work in his family’s stud.

Blythewood-based Mubarn stud manager Paul Tuckey offered and sold six bulls for an average price of $9834.

Topping the averages were Tony and Loreen Kitchen, of Bandeeka Red Angus stud, in Elgin, who sold Bandeeka Red Quartz Q2 for $12,000 to TA Marshall, of Cranbrook.

Other top-selling bulls included an Angus bull offered by the Young family, of Islay stud, in Narrogin.

Islay Quinn Q3, sired by Sydgen Enhance, was secured by repeat buyer Steve Jackson, of Rim Rock Grazing, in Boyup Brook. Mr Jackson said the bull had excellent ease of calving figures.

“We run 150 Strathtay blood Angus breeders and have been buying Islay bulls for four years,” he said.

From the Charolais catalogue, with four vendors, the top seller was from Peter and Judy Milton’s Copplestone stud, in Dardanup.

Copplestone Quarry Q58, an 845kg polled bull sired by Paringa Laredo L305, was secured by Nutrien Livestock agent Jamie Abbs for $10,000 on behalf of Tynedale Farm, in Dardanup.

Mr Abbs secured four Copplestone bulls for Tynedale Farm at an average price of $9375.

Copplestone offered and sold 12 bulls for an average price of $8917.

From the Murray Grey catalogue, the Nangara stud sold to a top of $9500 for a Monterey Monarch M278 sired bull, which was secured by D Verbrugge, of Ferguson Valley.