THE inaugural Telpara Hills Brangus bull and female sale was a stunning success, with buyers scrambling to buy the quality genetics.
Held at Tolga, on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, the Pearce family offered 96 quality bulls and 35 females, achieving a 100 per cent clearance rate.
Overall, 131 lots grossed $1,507,000 to average $11,503.
The Brangus bulls attracted fierce bidding from the get-go, grossing $1,202,500 to average $12,526, achieving a top price of $44,000.
Telpara Hills Foreman 541P93, sired by their leading AI sire Telpara Hills Real McCoy, out of a daughter of the USA record holding US $70,000 female The Oakes Ms Csonka 541T7, made the top money and was bought by the Keough family, Welcome Downs Cattle Company.
The 21-month-old entered the ring weighing 778kg, had a scrotal circumference of 44cm, and an eye muscle area of 133 square centimetres.
He was in the top 1 per cent for all growth EBVs, had rib and rump scores at 7 and 11 respectively and measured 6 per cent IMF.
Foreman's buyers, Doug and Helen Keough from Lyndhurst Station in the lower south-eastern Gulf Country north of Greenvale, have five sons and operate seven cattle stations in the greater Lynd area.
The Keough's are repeat buyers of Telpara Brangus and although a predominantly Brahman operation, they are injecting Brangus blood into the herd as part of their program to open up fresh markets.
"We are a Brahman operation, but at the same time we'd like to see if we can get some sort of market advantage out of having some Brangus blood in the herd. We think there is a market for younger, Brangus feeder cattle," Mr Keough said.
Mr Keough said the focus of the family's Brahman herd would continue to be on selling slaughter- weight cattle into the live export trade.
"This is the third time we've bought Telpara Hills Brangus, so we are repeat buyers. I think you need to look ahead all the time. People will always want protein and we are hoping that the Brangus will enable us to find a new, domestic market. We are looking at one day perhaps running Brangus bulls in paddocks with Brangus cows, but at present we are putting Brangus bulls over Brahman cows," Mr Keough said.
The second top price bull was early in the catalogue, with lot 2, Telpara Hills Cornerstone 468P22, selling for $37,500 to John and Kathy Colless, Wetherby Brangus, Mount Molloy.
The 24-month-old is a son of TH Kenworth 392L4, who the vendors said had stamped his mark on every one of this progeny at Telpara Hills.
Cornerstone weighs 794kg, had a scrotal circumference of 44cm and an EMA of 136sq cm. His rib and rump fat were 8 and 10 respectively and IMF was 6.4 per cent.
He was sold as a three-quarter share with full possession and semen was retained.
Also making good money was lot 40, Telpara Hills Grand Design 468P15, selling for $33,000 to Tristram Davis and family of Watership Downs Brangus, Keerong, NSW.
The 25-month-old son of TH Ace of Spades 541K65, weighed 848kg, had a scrotal circumference of 43cm and an EMA of 136sq cm. Grand Design had a rib and rump fat of 11 and 16 respectively and IMF of 7.4 per cent.
The momentum didn't slow when the females entered the ring, with the first heifer on offer, Telpara Hills Miss Real McCoy 541P92 selling for $40,000 (half share) to Brad Comiskey, Lunar Brangus, Emerals, setting a new Australian Brangus record price.
The 21-month-old, sired by leading AI sire Telpara Hills Real McCoy, is a full sister to the day's top selling bull, Foreman.
Weighing 737kg, when scanned she recorded am EMA of 85sq cm, with a high 7 per cent marbling sore, and was the heaviest in her contemporary group despite being the youngest.
Mr Comiskey said Ms Real McCoy ticked every box.
"We are talking about stepping into a female line and she had the credentials.
"The style of female is as good as you'd see, and ticks every box from temperament thought to her blood lines that are pretty sought after.
"We're building the stud numbers and blood lines and that heifer will add to the rest of the stud."
The second top price female, lot 127, was TH Miss Remington 801Q14 which sold for $33,000 to Peter and Roz Alexander of Hidden Valley Brangus, an Australian family currently based in Singapore.
The 16-month-old was the first heifer offering by the $22,000 Roma sale topping TH Remington 514M18 bull.
