ANZ Special Droughtmaster Store Sale Emerald

The cattle were judged by well-respected cattleman Dean Armstrong, Comet Downs, Comet, who awarded the prize pens with their honours.

The champion pen of steers came from a consignment of feeder steers from Kevin and Leesa Woolcock, Mostyndale, Springsure.

The champion pen of 11 milk tooth PCAS-accredited steers weighed 496kg, and returned $1595.00 per head to top the feeder steer market.

A pen of EU accredited heifers exhibited by Coobyanga Pastoral, Borilla Park, Anakie was the winner of the heifer section.

The heifers weighed 261kg and made 340c/kg, to return $890. 

Feeder steers topped 321.2c/kg, while weaner steers reached 359.2c/kg. 

Feeder heifers made to 341.2c/kg, with weaner heifers topping at 340c/kg.

Mrs Woolcock said they were exceptionally happy with the results of the commercial sale, which is in its second year.

“We had 44 number fives, and one of the pens of those were the champion pen, and we also had 15 number six heifers and 15 number six steers,” she said. 

“We were happy with how it all went, and it seemed like it was a really good lineup of Droughtmaster cattle.

“It was a bit of an achievement to win against the other cattle that were there.”

In addition to their stud, the Woolcock family run a purebred Droughtmaster commercial herd of 800 breeders and fatten their progeny to sell directly to meatworks. 

Mrs Woolcock said the ANZ store sale was the only sale they sold cattle at each year, and said they were happy to support the sale. 

The Woolcocks are PCAS-accredited and run a feedlot on the Springsure property, which Mrs Woolcock said they used to fatten some of their steers, especially in the last few dry years. 

“The steers that won the champ pen were PCAS-eligible; they had been on grass and recently on the oats,” she said. 

She said the sale was organised by the vendors involved in the stud stock sale to not only promote Central Queensland Droughtmaster cattle, but to give each vendor a chance to showcase their commercial operations. 

“The aim of the Central Reds sale was to be commercially orientated and other vendors in there, Christmas Creek particularly, are very commercially oriented,” Mrs Woolcock said. 

“We started it last year, and it’s going to take a few years for Droughtmaster people to get confidence that they’ll get the good prices at the sale.”