Queensland Simmental bull sale clears 94 per cent in 2023

Overall, twelve vendors from every mainland state offered 120 bulls for 2023 sale draft.

A total of 113 of the 120 bulls offered were sold for a clearance rate of 94 per cent, resulting in a sale average of $10,177, down by $2523 compared to the 2022 sale result.

NSW vendors' James and Maddie Hannah of Daraabah Fleckvieh Simmentals stud, Dubbo, secured top top-price honours for the day with their homozygous polled bull, Glenanna Skippy, selling to Felicity and Joe Streeter, Fairy Springs, based in between Theodore and Taroom.

Sired by Canadian bull Starwest Pol Blueprint and out of a full South Africian bloodline dam, Glenanna Nippy, the 21-month-old bull tipped the scales at 871 kilograms and measured 43 centimetres in scrotal circumference, as well as boasting figures of 143 square centimetres for eye muscle area and 9mm and 6mm, respectively, for P8 and rib fats.

This was Joe Streeter's first time attending the sale, and he was impressed with the quality of bulls on offer.

"The sale organisers put a pretty good line of bulls together this year," Mr Streeter said.

"I've watched it over the last couple of years, but I just thought this year was a strong and consistent line of bulls."

Mr Streeter said he admired Glenanna Skippy for his length, overall sire appeal and the fact he's a PP bull.

"(Skippy) will go over some Simmental and Simbrah females back home at Fairy Springs for our own bull breeding program, which we just breed bulls for ourselves," he said.

"We've only been breeding Simmentals for a few years now, but we like how they're nice and soft, and fertile.

"We run Brahman and Brangus females in our breeding program and we put Angus bulls over all our Brahman commercial females to produce f1 Brangus females, then we join those females with the Simmental bulls.

"The Brangus Simmental cross packs a fair punch, as the Brangus are a very fertile breed and the Simmental throw the bone and the beef into them - it's a good cross."

Mr Hannah said Skippy was one of their standouts in the 17-head draft, which all sold for a strong average of $12,235.

"(Skippy) is out of our top female line, his maternal brother topped our draft in 2022 and he's just as good on paper, recording in the top five per cent for his terminal index," he said.

"He's always been a standout bull for his growth and just the softness and loose skin.

"We would have really appreciated keeping him in the program, but he was just too related to the upcoming progeny, but we did collect 130 straws out of him before he left."

Mr Hannah said their stud targets this sale as most of their traditional bulls are sold into central Queensland.

"The market in central Queensland drove itself," he said.

"There is not as much demand for them in NSW as in Queensland, and it's a good avenue for us to keep pushing the traditional type bulls hard into the future."

Second top price came late in the sale with lot 108, which was offered by Allan Jarrett, Jarravale Simmentals, Horseshoe Creek, Kyogle, NSW, knocked down to Jan and Doug Bradshaw, Blue Dog Simmentals, Wandoan, for $22,000.

Weighing in at 919kg, the 23-month-old homozygous polled son of Crossroad Polled Future and Lucrana Libby measured 40cm in the scrotum and scanned 5.8pc for IMF, 143sq cm for EMA, and 10mm and 7mm for P8 and rib fat.

Black Simmental bull, Yerwal Est Super Dry, offered by Regan and Connie Burow, Yerwal Estate Simmental stud, Naracoorte, SA, sold for $20,000 to Godwin Grazing Co.

The 29-month-old bull weighed 969kg and scanned 139sq cm for EMA.

The diversity in genetics appealed to several commercial bulk-buyers operating on the day, with Toogoolawah's Ninbah Pastoral Co putting together the largest draft, selecting 12 for an average price of $7916.

Godwin Grazing Co, on account of Resolute Property Group, Brisbane, secured 11 bulls at an average price of $10,272.

The sale recorded 74 bidders in total and StockLive recorded 390 viewers and 23 bidders online, with 11 bulls sold through the online platform.