A TOTAL of 57 bulls sold to average $3048.25 for a solid clearance rate of 78 per cent at the eighth annual North Queensland Droughtmaster Bull Sale held at Charters Towers last week.
IT was a case of déjà vu when Ken and Cindy Muller, KM Cattle Company Pty Ltd, Biloela, topping the sale with Fletchervale Pastoral Company paying $6000 for a 26-month-old RSVP Casanova son in Lot 36, KM Nowhere 170 (P). It was the very same vendor and buyer combination that generated the top price bull at the 2012 sale.
The Muller family was also the highest volume selling vendor at the sale; they sold 20 head for $61,000 at an average of $3050 per head.
Ken Muller said he decided to diversify cattle operations on property to include Droughtmasters in both a stud and commercial capacity in 2008.
“We use the best attributes of the Droughtmaster breed to produce ‘Tropical Red’ cattle suitable for the tropical areas of Australia,” he said.
“At present we run 80 registered and 900 commercial females with the aim of increasing our registered breeder numbers to 400 and run in total around 1000 stud and commercial breeders.”
The second top price sire was sold by the Swan Heart Stud, Gogango, when David Birchmore, Winton, paid $5500 for Lot 3, Swan Heart Grafton 706/1 (P). In total they sold 11 head at an average of $3136.
Swan Heart were in the mix again with Lot 5 Swan Heart Glendon 734/1 (P) reaching the equal third top price of the sale with A, C and P Grech purchasing the 32 month old bull for $5000.
The second $5000 bull, Minlacowie Ranger 7635 (P) was sold by the Spann family’s’ Minlacowie and Wingfield Stud, Jambin-Goovigen. He was purchased by Brian Postlethwaite, Charters Towers. The Spann family sold seven head at an average of $3035.
The top price herd bull was sold by Kevin and Leesa Woolcock, Mostyndale Droughtmaster Stud, Springsure, with lot 15 Mostyndale Darius (D) purchased by Jason and Julie Jones for $4000. They sold nine head at an average of $3083.
The volume buyer of the sale was the Cook family who took home a team of nine quality bulls at an average of $2675 per head. They also received a 20l container of White Cap + Phosphorous donated by Beachport Liquid Minerals for their purchases.
Other volume buyers at the sale included: Fletchervale Pastoral Company (eight); Jeff and Kara Johnson (six); Jason and Julie Jones (six); Jenny Reid (six); and Braceborough Pastoral Company (five).
Other vendors included Joe and Tina Cardillo, Oena Stud, Mareeba, who sold one bull for $2500; Justin Little, LGC Stud, who sold four head at an average price of $3437.50; and Alan, Elaine and Paul Lever, Leverdale Droughtmasters, Murray Upper, who sold five head at an average of $2600.
A full photo gallery will appear in the October 31 edition of the NQ Register.
