When Emanuel and Tracey Mifsud, Maru Brahmans, Koumala, decided to market their United States dual registered bull at this year's Rockhampton Brahman Week Sale, they weren't quite sure what to expect.
A rare packaged deal, 31-month-old Maru Jaral (ET) (PS) came with a combined offering of 1800 semen straws for domestic use and licensed for international export.
"We just wanted to take it to the next level, we thought he was pretty unique. I had all that semen and I spoke to my agent and they suggested putting it up with the bull," Mr Mifsud said.
"I've always wanted to do it and thought that if you really thought something of your article, you should back them and invest some money into getting some semen and releasing it with the bull.
"It has cost us a bit of money to do, so let's just hope I'm not a laughing stock tomorrow when he goes into the ring," Mr Mifsud said on Tuesday.
Far from a laughing stock, it was George and Jason Bartolo of Carrinyah Pastoral Company, Nebo, who secured the winning $70,000 bid to take the bull home.
Sired by the mighty Jomanda El Toro 802 (PS), and out of Maru 305/7 Hali Manso (ET) (H), Jaral generated interest from both local and international buyers in this year's sale.
"We actually had someone from overseas bidding," Mr Mifsud said.
"My daughter launched Jaral on an American Brahman web page and then from that, this fellow wanted to get the semen rights to America but it was just too close to the sale it couldn't be arranged.
"He contacted us the day of the sale and said he wanted to try and buy the bull, so I passed him on to the Nutrien guys and he actually ended up bidding."
Mr Mifsud said for them to be able to export semen to the United States, dual registration with the American Brahman Breeders Association was a requirement.
"It took us a few months to do that, but it was just part of the process," he said.
"The bull had to be quarantined for three months at the semen centre, and he got tested for every disease under the sun so it was quite a big deal.
"We just back the bull and think a lot of him so we thought we'd spend a few dollars and sell him with a heap of semen."
The Mifsuds are admittedly small stud breeders, based on 182 hectares (450 acres) near Koumala.
"We're a small breeder and happy to stay a small breeder. We just wanted to bring a high-class animal here and that's all my goal was," Mr Mifsud said.
"I mainly just concentrate on having three or four really good donor cows and fill the place with recipients. Because I do my own ET embryo work, it just gives me better opportunity to have more chance of a higher-class animal.
"We just try to breed a couple of bulls, mainly all artificial breeding. I do my own embryo work and I work at the coal port, so this is what we do to pay off the farm."
Mr Mifsud said he thought a lot of his bull when he was younger, and had earmarked him from the start.
"The polled breeding is very in demand in the Brahman breed now. It's very hard to get big bone structure and a lot of meat in polled bulls and I just think he's got it already," he said.
"We sent three of his flushed brothers up to Charters Towers in February and sold them and did quite well, they averaged $40,000, so we took him to the semen centre.
"El Toro sons are averaging a good amount of money and I watched another El Toro bull make $55,000 in the sale."
El Toro still holds the current record top of $150,000 for a red Brahman bull sold at RBWS.
Happy with how his bull sold, Mr Mifsud said it was simply good to be able to bring a good quality bull to a sale and get noticed, and hoped his kids could continue the legacy in future.
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