THE first annual Queensland Simmental bull sale will be one for the history books, following Monday's sale success, in which 82 bulls sold to reach a top of $22,000 at Gracemere.
Bulls were sourced from 12 studs across Queensland and interstate, with producers buying up big at the largest Simmental genetic offering ever catalogued, Australia-wide.
Overall, 82 bulls were sold at 100 per cent clearance, with a strong average of $12,207 and a total gross of $1,001,000.
Bruce and Melinda McColl, Daraabah Fleckvieh Simmentals, Dubbo, NSW, topped the Simmental market at $22,000 with Daraabah Quambone (P), which was bought by Alistair Kirk, Olinda Grazing, Baralaba.
A son of Brenair Park Lemair, the 25-month-old sire prospect weighed in at 880 kilograms and scanned 143 square centimetres for eye muscle area.
Second-top price honours went to a black Simmental bull called Bonnydale Q Maverick Q80 (P) (TW) (B), who sold for $21,000 to Brookston Pastoral Company at Mackay.
The 21-month-old sire prospect was offered by Jake Berghofer and Emma Patterson, Bonnydale QLD Black Simmentals, Memerambi.
A son of Savannah Maverick (PP) (ET) (AI) (B), the young bull weighed in at 772kg and had an EMA of 138sq cm.
Itching close behind the top bull price were four Simmental bulls which all hit the $20,000 market, and these bulls include: Grangeburn Quickdraw (PP), Daraabah Quade, Daraabah Quokka (P) and Lone Station Quattro (P).
Stud stock marketing services managing director Steven Manwill, Lone Station Simmental stud, Biarra, said it was the largest offering of genetics Australia-wide and the biggest sale for Simmental Australia ever.
"We're extremely pleased with the support that we had from commercial bull buyers," Mr Manwill said.
"It's difficult to put a new sale together, but we're really pleased that the vendors put together a quality draft that weren't over prepared.
"We think that was reflected in the sale price and 100pc clearance rate."
Mr Manwill said the pressure was extremely tight to ensure that the quality of bulls were present on the day.
"Our primary market for Simmental is over Bos indicus cattle and our primary target market is for Brahmans and that's why we've placed the sale here in the Fitzroy Basin," he said.
"The future of Simmental breed, at least in Queensland, is as a crossover of Bos indicus cattle and it's a cross that's been working for a number of years, but it's gaining momentum now."
Full report in this week's Queensland Country Life.
- Selling agents; Ray White Rural Blackall, Townsville, and Gracemere.
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